Smoke Free Fort Worth

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FORT WORTH -August 17, 2007 - 92% of Fort Worth voters say secondhand smoke is a health hazard, according to a poll conducted in Fort Worth August 7-9, 2007 by the Eppstein Group.

“Our message about the dangers of secondhand smoke to children, workers and the general public has been heard by the citizens of Fort Worth,” stated Cliff Parker, co-chair of Smoke-Free Fort Worth, a coalition of local organizations, medical professionals and concerned citizens. Smoke-Free Fort Worth, founded by the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, the Tarrant County Medical Society and the Texas PTA, formed in 2006 to address concerns about unnecessary exposure to secondhand smoke in work places and public spaces such as restaurants and bars.

"We have conducted similar surveys in other cities and towns in Texas, and these are among the strongest results we've seen from citizens who say secondhand smoke presents a risk to the health of their community," said Bryan Eppstein, President of the Eppstein Group, who conducted the Fort Worth survey.

The Eppstein Group in Fort Worth conducted the poll from August 7-9, 2007. A total of 300 adult Fort Worth residents were surveyed by telephone in a random sample of past municipal voters in Fort Worth. Margin of error is ± 5.8 percentage points.

The Eppstein Group is a Fort Worth, Texas based public affairs and public opinion polling firm. The firm was incorporated in 1983, and has offices in Fort Worth, Austin and Dallas. The firm conducts approximately 40-50 local and statewide public opinion polls annually. The firm’s polling projects are directed by John Shults and Bryan Eppstein.

“The Smoke-Free Fort Worth coalition aims to raise awareness so that Fort Worth joins the 20 Texas cities that are already smoke-free,” Parker stated. The 20 Texas cities with a comprehensive smoke-free ordinance are: Abilene, Austin, Baytown, Beaumont, Benbrook, Copperas Cove, El Paso, Fredricksburg, Houston, Laredo, Marshall, Pasadena, Plano, Portland, Robinson, Socorro, Southlake, Vernon, Victoria, and Woodway.

Studies rank secondhand smoke as the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States with an estimated 53,000 deaths annually. Secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 toxic chemicals and 43 known cancer-causing agents including formaldehyde, cyanide, arsenic, carbon monoxide, methane and benzene. Secondhand smoke exposure is associated with coughing, wheezing, middle ear infections, sore throats, colds and asthma attacks in children. Even half an hour of secondhand smoke exposure causes heart damage similar to that of habitual smokers.

New Study: Restaurant and Bar Employees Exposed to Airborne Cancer

AUSTIN– June 29, 2007 – In the wake of an unsuccessful attempt to pass a smoke-free workplace law in Texas, the American Journal of Public Health released yesterday an alarming report regarding restaurant and bar employees.
Scientists conducting the study found that nonsmoking restaurant and bar employees absorb a potent carcinogen (cancer-causing chemical) which is not considered safe at any level while working in places where they had to breathe secondhand tobacco smoke from customers and coworkers. The carcinogen, NNK, is found in the body only as a result of using tobacco or breathing secondhand smoke.
“The clear implication of this study is that all workplaces need to be smoke-free,” said Linda Nichols, regional vice president of development and advocacy for the American Lung Association of Central States. “Everyone has the right to breathe smoke-free air, including employees of the hospitality industry.”
The study, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, found that elevated levels of NNK appeared in the urine of nonsmoking employees shortly after they encountered secondhand smoke during their shifts. Levels of NNK, which is known to cause lung cancer, increased by 6 percent for each hour of work.
“Secondhand smoke is a serious public health hazard and no one should face a choice between their health and a paycheck,” said Joel Romo, vice president of advocacy for the Texas Affiliate of the American Heart Association. “It’s time for Texas to step up to the plate as 21 other states have done to make workplaces, including restaurants and bars, free from airborne toxins created by second smoke.”
“This is the first study to show increases in NNK as a result of a brief workplace exposure, and that levels of this powerful carcinogen continue to increase the longer the person works in a place where smoking is permitted. NNK is a major cancer causing agent from tobacco products—and workers should not have to be exposed to any dose of this very dangerous chemical,” said Michael Stark, PhD, of the Multnomah County Health Department and the study’s lead author. “The science shows that the threat of disease from secondhand smoke is no longer a distant threat. The amount of this carcinogen increases even within a single work shift.”
Employees who participated in the Oregon study were typical of food service workers nationwide in that the majority were women, under age 30, had relatively low household incomes, and more than one third of them lacked health insurance.
In the same issue of the American Journal of Public Health, experts in public health law note that employers across the country are already being held legally liable for exposing workers to secondhand smoke, even if state and local laws permit workplace smoking.
More than 2,300 municipalities in the United States restrict public smoking. Recently, passage of strong city ordinances in New York City, Houston, and Washington, D.C., has garnered national attention.
Last Nov. 7, Ohio and Arizona elected to go smoke-free, including restaurants and bars. In the last few weeks, states going smoke-free, including New Mexico, Maryland, New Hampshire, and Oregon, increased to 21 the number of states that have adopted laws that include smoke-free restaurants and bars. An Illinois smoke-free law is awaiting the governor’s signature.
Smoke-Free Texas members include the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, and Texas PTA. The coalition pressed for passage of a smoke-free workplace bill this past Texas legislative session sponsored by Sen. Rodney Ellis (D-Houston) and Rep. Myra Crownover (R-Denton).

The Oregon study and other tobacco-related studies may be found at the American Journal of Public Health website:
http://www.ajph.org/first_look.shtml

SMOKE-FREE BILL TO RETURN IN 2009
HB 9 expires, but Texans want smoke-free state

The Smoke-Free Texas coalition on Thursday issued the following statement after HB 9 – legislation that would make almost all indoor public and work places smoke-free – died in the Texas Senate with the passage of a session-end legislation deadline.

The following statement can be attributed to Kirsten Voinis, spokesperson for Smoke-Free Texas, a coalition that includes the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and Texas PTA:

“Even as time expires this session for HB 9, Smoke-Free Texas already is planning to bring forward in 2009 another bill that would provide strong secondhand smoke protections for Texas workers by banning smoking in indoor public and work places.

“Two years from now, more states will be smoke-free, more Texas communities will have passed local smoke-free ordinances – and thousands more Texans will be ill or dead from secondhand smoke exposure. Hopefully, more Texas lawmakers also will realize what has been scientifically proven – smoke-free policies and eliminating exposure are the only effective methods to protect people from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.

“This legislative session was a success because, for the first time, a thorough policy debate was held at the state level on this important public heath issue. Lawmakers understood that secondhand smoke is dangerous, they just couldn’t agree on how Texans should be protected.

“Smoke-Free Texas thanks Rep. Myra Crownover and Sen. Rodney Ellis for sponsoring the smoke-free bill and for their strong determination to raise the noise level about this issue. The coalition also thanks the majority of House members and the Senate Health and Human Services Committee who voted to support smoke-free protections for Texas workers.”

Comprehensive, smoke-free laws have been passed by 20 other states (three since March).

A statewide poll commissioned by Smoke-Free Texas found that 66 percent of Texans would favor a statewide comprehensive law to eliminate smoking in all indoor workplaces and public facilities including public buildings, offices, restaurants and bars.

For additional smoke-free information or fact sheets, contact Kirsten Voinis at (512) 922-7141 or kvoinis@kvoinis.com.

TEXANS WANT SMOKE-FREE PUBLIC PLACES STATEWIDE

FORT WORTH, TEXAS – January 31, 2007 – Coalition releases statewide poll, announces smoke-free initiative

Texans overwhelmingly want all public and work places in Texas – including restaurants and bars – to be smoke-free, according to a poll released at a Wednesday press conference by a coalition that also unveiled its push for statewide, comprehensive smoke-free legislation.

“Two-thirds of Texans agree that everyone deserves to breathe clean air in public,” said Gary Hall, chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Heart Association’s Texas affiliate. ”By passing comprehensive, smoke-free legislation – without exemptions – our state’s leaders can strike a significant blow against cancer, heart disease and other diseases caused from exposure to secondhand smoke in Texas.”
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Smoke-Free Texas members include the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and Texas PTA. The coalition is advocating that Texas join 16 other states that have passed comprehensive, smoke-free laws by passing SB 368, filed by state Sen. Rodney Ellis (D-Houston).

A statewide poll commissioned by the coalition found that 66 percent of Texans would favor a statewide comprehensive law to eliminate smoking in all indoor workplaces and public facilities including public buildings, offices, restaurants and bars, according to Mike Baselice, president of Baselice and Associates, which conducted the poll.

Support for a statewide smoke-free law echoes what Texans have been saying at the ballot box – 14 communities across the state have comprehensive smoke-free ordinances, and 47 Texas communities have passed restrictive ordinances.

Joining Smoke-Free Texas at the press conference to call for passage of smoke-free legislation were Dr. Mark Clanton, former deputy director for cancer care delivery systems for the National Cancer Institute and chief staff medical officer for the High Plains Division of the American Cancer Society; Kent Rathbun, internationally recognized chef and proprietor of Dallas restaurants Abacus and Jasper’s; and Marcia Ball, a three-time Grammy nominated, six-time Blues Music Awards winner, Austin-based singer/songwriter/recording artist.

Secondhand smoke is a known cause of lung cancer, heart disease, low birth weight, chronic lung ailments and other health problems, and it leads to the death of 53,000 Americans each year studies have found. Of Texans polled by Smoke-Free Texas, 92 percent said they know that secondhand smoke is a health hazard.

“The scientific evidence is clear – there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke,” Clanton said. “Secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death and leads to numerous, serious health problems in both adults and children. The U.S. Surgeon General has said that totally eliminating smoking in public places is the only sure way to protect non-smokers from the deadly effects of secondhand smoke.”

Ball, who performs around the country, said for years she and her band have left smoke-filled shows red-eyed, coughing and reeking of smoke. Levels of secondhand smoke in bars are 3.9 to 6.1 times higher than in office worksites and up to 4.5 times higher than in homes with at least one smoker, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“Now, when we play in smoke-free venues in Austin and other places, the crowds are not smaller, they’re just healthier,” Ball said. “Clubs are not closing because of this change. In fact, many people who previously could not stand the smoke can now go out and hear music. People go to bars for social interaction and entertainment. They’re not going to stay home just so they can smoke.”

Smoke-free laws aren’t just for bars and restaurant patrons – they go far to protect the health of employees. Food service workers, for example, have been found to have a 50 percent higher risk of dying from lung cancer than the general public.

Rathbun opened his restaurant Abacus smoke-free in 1999 and Jasper’s in 2003, before the City of Dallas passed a local ordinance to limit smoking.

“When we opened Abacus as a smoke-free restaurant, many of my peers and colleagues thought we were out of our minds,” stated Rathbun. “But I told them that five years from now we will be the trend-setter, and that’s exactly what has happened. Offering a smoke-free environment has proven to be a success at both of my restaurants, and we enjoy the fact that we are providing a healthy environment for our guests and employees.”

Of Texans polled in cities where smoking is banned in restaurants, 26 percent said it increased how often they dined out, while 57 percent said it made no difference.

Smoke-free policies do not affect restaurant revenue or the sale of alcoholic beverages in bars, according to analysis of sales tax data in Texas and other states and according to the 2006 U. S. Surgeon General’s report, which analyzed hundreds of economic impact studies.

While some restaurants have installed ventilation systems and separate smoking areas, scientific studies show these systems do not work and are very costly to install. Instead, eliminating exposure to secondhand smoke is the only protection against its detrimental health effects, studies have found.

Smoke-Free Fort Worth Coalition Urges Public to Speak Up for Clean Air

FORT WORTH, TEXAS – January 8, 2007 – The Smoke-Free Fort Worth Coalition is calling on members of the public to support a comprehensive smoke-free ordinance, ensuring that all work places in the city are 100% smoke-free. Leading health organizations, including the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, and American Lung Association, have organized the coalition to ensure clean air for all Fort Worth citizens.

The City of Fort Worth will host a series of meetings in January and February to receive public comment on recommended changes to the current smoking ordinance. Anyone interested in this issue is strongly encouraged to attend. The public forums are scheduled as follows:
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Tuesday, January 16 at 7 p.m. - R.D. Evans Community Center, 3242 Lackland Rd., 76116
Monday, January 22 at 7 p.m. - Handley Meadowbrook Community Center, 6201 Beaty St., 76112
Thursday, February 1 at 7 p.m. - Southwest Community Center, 6300 Welch Ave., 76133
Monday, February 12 at 7 p.m. - North Fort Worth Baptist Church, 5801 North I-35 West, 76101

In May, the Fort Worth City Council appointed an ad hoc committee to review the city’s ordinance, which dates from 1997. The ad hoc committee, composed of representatives from health organizations, the restaurant and bar association, and private citizens, made recommendations to the city council at the end of August. Their recommendations for a comprehensive smoke-free ordinance will be considered during the upcoming public meetings.

The meetings come during a time of unprecedented progress in smoke-free legislation. “Seventeen states, Washington, DC and more than 2,200 communities have passed smoke-free laws, including 43 communities in Texas,” said Mark Koch, MD, co-chair of Smoke-Free Fort Worth and Secretary of Medical Affairs for the American Cancer Society in Tarrant County. “It’s time for Fort Worth to protect public health. The chemicals in secondhand smoke are toxic and cannot be eliminated with ventilation.”

Dr. Koch urged members of the public who want to get involved to join the Smoke-Free Fort Worth coalition by calling the American Cancer Society at 817-737-9992 or American Heart Association at 817-698-5453; to call or write their city council representative; and to send an email to the city website for the smoking ordinance at smokingordinance@fortworthgov.org

In June of 2006, the Surgeon General’s office released a report, “The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke”. This marked the first report by the Surgeon General’s office on secondhand smoke in 20 years. The last report, released in 1986, marked the first comprehensive scientific analysis of the health data surrounding secondhand smoke. The new report shows that there is no longer any scientific debate that secondhand smoke causes serious diseases, including lung cancer, heart disease and respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis and asthma, and that the only way to protect everyone from these health hazards is to completely eliminate exposure.

In addition to addressing the health effects of secondhand smoke exposure, including lung cancer and heart disease, the new Surgeon General’s report states that ventilation systems are ineffective at reducing the harm caused by the emission of cigarette smoke in restaurants and bars. The report also highlights the unequal occupational hazard for restaurant, casino, bar and hotel employees. It is estimated that only 43 percent of the country’s food service workers are protected against secondhand smoke, while 76 percent of white-collar workers are. Furthermore, children and ethnic minorities also remain more at risk than other segments of the population.

Smoking is the single most preventable cause of death in the U.S., claiming more than 400,000 lives annually, with 170,000 dying from smoking-related cardiovascular disease. And secondhand smoke is responsible for almost 38,000 deaths annually among adult nonsmokers in the U.S. – deaths caused by heart disease, lung cancer, and other diseases. To view the Surgeon General’s report on secondhand smoke, go to www.cdc.gov/tobacco.

Anti-smoking ordinance may help prevent heart attacks

Fort Worth, Sept. 26 - Smoke-Free Fort Worth, a coalition calling on members of the Fort Worth city council to protect the health of the city's workforce by enacting a a comprehensive smoke-free ordinance, applauds the recent release of an American Heart Association study showing that anti-smoking ordinances may prevent heart attacks. According to a study in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, after a Colorado city banned smoking in workplaces and public buildings, the number of people suffering heart attacks in the area swiftly and dramatically decreased,

“Adopting a non-smoking ordinance has the potential to rapidly improve the cardiovascular health of a community,” said lead author Carl Bartecchi, M.D., distinguished clinical professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver.
The study evaluated the impact of a 2003 ordinance in the 103,648-person, blue-collar city of Pueblo, Colorado. Pueblo, located in southern Colorado, has a higher percentage of smokers than the statewide average (22.6 percent vs. 18.6 percent).