American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest
statement on signing of statewide smokefree bill in Illinois 7/23/2007
Today is a great day for workers across Illinois because they are a step closer
to healthier workplaces. In fact, it's a great day for the health of all
Illinoisans.
We applaud the General Assembly for passing historic legislation and applaud
Governor Blagojevich for signing SB500 today, which makes all indoor public
places throughout Illinois smoke-free. With the Governor's signature, Illinois
becomes the 22nd smoke-free state in the nation. The law goes into effect on
January 1, 2008.
Working with coalitions, community organizations and other partners
throughout the state, the American Lung Association of Illinois is proud to have
led the way to make Illinois smoke-free.
We know from the U.S. Surgeon General's 2006 report, "The Health Consequences
of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke," that creating smoke- free workplaces
is the only effective way to ensure that secondhand smoke exposure does not
occur in the workplace. In addition, the report stated there was "massive and
conclusive scientific evidence" that secondhand smoke causes serious disease and
that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.
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