All state workplaces must remain smoke free

The following is a published letter to the editor which appeared in The Southern on May 20 and was written by Illinois advocate and survivor David Melby.

When the Smoke Free Illinois Act went into effect in 2008, Illinois became the 22nd state to protect workers, patrons and visitors in all its businesses and public places from the health risks of secondhand smoke. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Illinois is now one of 25 states and the District of Columbia to have comprehensive, statewide smoking bans which prohibit smoking in public places, establishments such as bars and restaurants, as well as all other workplaces, including casinos. Eighteen more states have implemented statewide smoking restrictions with some exemptions.

The Illinois House of Representatives recently passed HB 1965, which would permit smoking in Illinois casinos if the nearest state allows it. The CDC said that the proposed law would make Illinois first nationwide to weaken a recently enacted, comprehensive, statewide smoke-free law by exempting casinos. Once again, the eyes of the country are watching Illinois government at work. Illinois has received a high level of visibility in recent years. Most of that visibility has not reflected well on our state. If this legislation is enacted into law, Illinois will once again be in the national spotlight for all of the wrong reasons, while polls show that an overwhelming majority of Illinoisans do not want their smoke-free protections weakened.

Maintaining a commitment to a comprehensive, Smoke Free Illinois is good for Illinois and all of its citizens for a variety of reasons, including the following:

Smoke Free Illinois results in tremendous public health benefits. In the first two years after implementation, the Illinois Department of Public Health estimates that over 30,000 hospitalizations for heart disease alone were prevented. When combined with similar statistics for cancer and other lung diseases, the public health benefits are staggering. According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in America, and even second-hand smoke increases the risk of heart attack by 30 percent.

Smoke Free Illinois makes good financial sense. According to IDPH, because the average cost of heart disease hospital admissions is so high ($39,000), the admissions prevented in the first two years follow-ing implementation of Smoke Free Illinois resulted in a healthcare cost savings of almost $1.2 Billion!

Smoke Free Illinois is good for business. An independent, random sample survey of Illinois casino gamblers, commissioned by the American Lung Association, was conducted between April 27 and May 9. It found that 85 percent of the 401 respondents who had visited an Illinois casino at least once during the last 12 months reported that they either preferred to visit a smoke-free casino or said it did not matter. Survey results indicate that the top six reasons for reducing the number of casino visits in Illinois were all economic, with the top two by a large margin being the increased cost of gasoline and the increased cost of living. Quality of the out-of-state competition and the Illinois tax rate on casino revenue were offered as additional reasons for declining Illinois casino revenues.

Another important business benefit of Smoke Free Illinois is reduced health care costs. The U.S. De-partment of Health and Human Services reports that businesses face additional costs of about $1,300 per year for each employee who smokes, because of higher health insurance claims and costs, plus main-tenance and cleaning costs for carpet, furniture and drapes. This business cost analysis does not appear to even include the additional costs for non-smoking employees as the result of exposure to second-hand smoke.

Smoke Free Illinois is good for Illinois because all workers deserve to be protected from second-hand smoke, including those working in casinos. In a recent open letter to legislators and the media, Buffy McKinney of Cahokia, Illinois wrote about her mother, Cheryl Rose, who worked in a casino for more than 20 years. Although she never smoked and took care of her health, in 2008, she was diagnosed with inoperable Stage 4 Lung Cancer, in all probability the result of years of exposure to secondhand smoke. Buffy asks in her letter, "Have you ever had to hold a parent in your arms as they take their last breath at the young age of 62? - And all of this could have been prevented through a comprehensive clean air law!"

Let's not backtrack on our commitment to provide a smoke-free work environment for everyone in Illinois. Please call your state senator's office to register your sentiments regarding this unpopular and potentially harmful legislation. Urge your Senator to vote No on HB 1965 and any similar legislation that might be sponsored in the foreseeable future.

DAVID J. MELBY of Carterville is a member of the American Heart Association's Illinois Advocacy Committee.