U.S. Now Halfway to Meeting the American Lung Association Smokefree Air Challenge

Wisconsin Becomes 25th State to Pass Comprehensive Legislation Protecting All Workers from Secondhand Smoke

Washington, D.C. (May 18, 2009) -- Today, Wisconsin residents have reason to celebrate. The Dairy State is now the 25th state in the nation, and the second in 2009, to pass a comprehensive smokefree workplace law protecting virtually everyone from secondhand smoke in public places and workplaces.

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The American Lung Association applauds Governor Jim Doyle and Wisconsin lawmakers for passing this important legislation that will save hundreds of lives.

According to the U.S. Surgeon General, nearly 50,000 Americans die each year from secondhand smoke exposure. It is also the cause of a host of other diseases and ailments, including lung cancer and heart disease.

“Wisconsin is a critical turning point in our fight to make our nation smokefree,” said Charles D. Connor, President and CEO of the American Lung Association. “Thanks to the leadership shown by Governor Doyle, we are now halfway to our goal of all 50 states going smokefree. Let this serve as an example to other states where workers are still not protected from deadly secondhand smoke. Smokefree air laws protect public health and combat the economic chokehold tobacco-caused illnesses have on states’ shrinking budgets.”

In its January State of Tobacco Control report, the American Lung Association reported that smoking-related illnesses cost the state of Wisconsin over $3.6 billion annually and kills more than 7,000 residents each year. Smokefree air laws are a vital component to addressing the burden of tobacco-caused illness.

Elected officials in states like Michigan, North Carolina and Texas are also considering smokefree air laws. The American Lung Association urges these lawmakers to summon the political will to act quickly and decisively on behalf of the health of their constituents. Secondhand smoke kills. Comprehensive smokefree air laws are the best and only effective measure to prevent death and disease caused by secondhand smoke in public places and workplaces, as the U.S. Surgeon General has stated.

The American Lung Association is dedicated to protecting all workers from secondhand smoke through its Smokefree Air Challenge, which is a nationwide movement to eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke in all work and public places. For more information or to get involved, go to www.lungusa.org/smokefree.

Source: American Lung Association