The American Medical Association applauds the Chicago Tribune for offering its support to the state’s proposed law prohibiting smoking in all public places and work sites including bars and restaurants (“Illinois, smoke-free,” Editorial, Jan. 18). We hope that Illinois will soon join Ohio, Arizona, New Jersey, New York and other states that provide a clean indoor air environment for residents, workers and visitors.
On a daily basis, the staff and patrons of smoke-filled bars and restaurants inhale more than 4,000 different hazardous chemicals and 69 known cancer-causing agents. Secondhand smoke is a leading cause of preventable death among adults in the U.S., and in Illinois alone kills nearly 3,000 people each year.
The disease and death caused by secondhand smoke is not only alarming, it is completely preventable. We call on state lawmakers to approve the comprehensive smoke-free law introduced by state Sen. John Cullerton (D-Chicago) and protect all Illinoisans from the dangers of secondhand smoke.
