2008 Woodie Awards
The workplace ban on smoking and beyond
Srilaya Kudaravalli
Issue date: 2/4/08 Section: Pulse
Media Credit: Anthony YoonDr. Susan Curry, Joel Africk and Dr. Leslie Stayner listen as Jennifer Herd presents on the effect the smoking ban had on Illinois.
The Paul Q. Peters Grand Rounds Lecture Series, held Wednesday, discussed Chicago's Clean Indoor Air Ordinance which prohibits smoking in restaurants, bars, bowling alleys, workplaces and other public spaces in the city. This lectures series, sponsored by UIC's School of Public Health and the Illinois Department of Public Health, is comprised of monthly lectures on current topics relevant across the health sciences, addressed by leading practitioners and academicians.
"There are about 45.3 million adults who are current smokers," said Dr. Susan Curry, director of the Institute for Health Research and Policy and professor of health policy and administration at UIC. "The annual costs for treating tobacco-related diseases are staggering." Dr. Curry explained that tobacco use cost around $2000 annually per smoker on health care costs alone.
"The good news is that 70 percent of smokers want to quit," she reported. We can accelerate cessation by legislative interventions which would consist of excise taxes, health care benefits, and smoking restrictions.
Another way is individually getting help through group programs and pharmacotherapy. Organizations can also aid in accelerating cessation rates by mass media campaigns, youth access policies, and healthcare groups.
According to Dr. Leslie Stayner, professor and director of the Epidemiology and Biostatistics division of the School of Public Health, Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS), a complex mixture of chemicals generated during the burning and smoking of tobacco products, had been declared by the Environmental Protection Agency as a class A carcinogen due to the negative effects ETS has on the human body.
Four types of major studies illustrate these negative effects: mainstream studies on smoking, spousal ETS exposure studies, studies of workplace ETS and smoking ban intervention studies.
The first major ETS exposure study was done by Sir Richard Doll in the 1930s, who was the first to confirm the link between smoking and lung cancer. Thereafter, many respectable organizations have identified the various adverse affects of smoking. The spousal ETS exposure studies showed higher risk for people exposed to second-hand smoke versus non-smokers with no exposure. Studies of workplace ETS are harder to document and therefore have inconsistent results. There is an overall somewhat weak association between lung cancer risks and ETS exposure. Lastly, the smoking bans intervention studies take a look at what happens to communities before and after a smoking ban has been inducted. There are remarkable changes documented such as improvement in respiratory health and the environment as well as a dramatic reduction of myocardial infraction rates in hospitals. This has a huge public health impact and illustrates the overwhelming evidence of negative ETS exposure.
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"There are about 45.3 million adults who are current smokers," said Dr. Susan Curry, director of the Institute for Health Research and Policy and professor of health policy and administration at UIC. "The annual costs for treating tobacco-related diseases are staggering." Dr. Curry explained that tobacco use cost around $2000 annually per smoker on health care costs alone.
"The good news is that 70 percent of smokers want to quit," she reported. We can accelerate cessation by legislative interventions which would consist of excise taxes, health care benefits, and smoking restrictions.
Another way is individually getting help through group programs and pharmacotherapy. Organizations can also aid in accelerating cessation rates by mass media campaigns, youth access policies, and healthcare groups.
According to Dr. Leslie Stayner, professor and director of the Epidemiology and Biostatistics division of the School of Public Health, Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS), a complex mixture of chemicals generated during the burning and smoking of tobacco products, had been declared by the Environmental Protection Agency as a class A carcinogen due to the negative effects ETS has on the human body.
Four types of major studies illustrate these negative effects: mainstream studies on smoking, spousal ETS exposure studies, studies of workplace ETS and smoking ban intervention studies.
The first major ETS exposure study was done by Sir Richard Doll in the 1930s, who was the first to confirm the link between smoking and lung cancer. Thereafter, many respectable organizations have identified the various adverse affects of smoking. The spousal ETS exposure studies showed higher risk for people exposed to second-hand smoke versus non-smokers with no exposure. Studies of workplace ETS are harder to document and therefore have inconsistent results. There is an overall somewhat weak association between lung cancer risks and ETS exposure. Lastly, the smoking bans intervention studies take a look at what happens to communities before and after a smoking ban has been inducted. There are remarkable changes documented such as improvement in respiratory health and the environment as well as a dramatic reduction of myocardial infraction rates in hospitals. This has a huge public health impact and illustrates the overwhelming evidence of negative ETS exposure.
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Bill Hannegan
posted 2/04/08 @ 12:25 PM CST
The American Cancer Society pressured the Illinois legislature to impose a smoking ban on bars and restaurants with an alarming, yet misleading, claim: "One eight-hour shift in a smoke-filled workplace is the equivalent of smoking 16 cigarettes. (Continued…)
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