SJ0051 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0051 LRB102 26603 LAW 37343 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Tobacco smoke is a major contributor to indoor air pollution, and breathing secondhand smoke is a cause of disease and death, including heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease, lung cancer, low birth-weight babies, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), increased respiratory infections in children, asthma in children and adults, sinus cancer, and breast cancer in younger, premenopausal women; and

WHEREAS, The 2006 U.S. Surgeon General report, The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, estimated that exposure to secondhand smoke kills approximately 50,000 people in the United States annually, including approximately 2,000 in Illinois; there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke; ventilation and other air cleaning technologies cannot completely control for exposure of nonsmokers to secondhand smoke; smoke-free workplace policies are the only effective way to eliminate secondhand smoke exposure in the workplace, and evidence shows that smoke-free policies and laws do not have an adverse economic impact on the hospitality industry; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Public Health reported a 28.4 percent decline in the smoking rate after the Smoke Free Illinois Act (the Act) was enacted in 2008 in addition to a 4.1 percent and 1.4 percent decline in the mortality rate for heart disease and lung cancer, respectively; the number of callers to the Illinois Tobacco Quitline increased dramatically after the Act became law from 7,255 in 2006 to 24,575 in 2012; in 2011, 91 percent of adults reported no exposure to secondhand smoke in indoor public places, and 89% of Illinois adults believed policies not allowing tobacco use in indoor or outdoor public places should be strictly enforced; and

WHEREAS, Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia have passed comprehensive smoke-free laws to protect people against the harmful effects of secondhand smoke; and

WHEREAS, Aerosol from electronic cigarettes has a high concentration of heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, and ultrafine particles; the particle concentration is higher than in conventional tobacco cigarette smoke; exposure to fine and ultrafine particles may exacerbate respiratory ailments like asthma and constrict arteries, which could trigger a heart attack; and

WHEREAS, The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that electronic cigarettes not be used indoors, especially in smoke-free environments, in order to minimize the risk to bystanders of breathing in the aerosol emitted by the devices and to avoid undermining the enforcement of smoke-free laws; and

WHEREAS, Secondhand smoke from combusted marijuana contains many of the same toxins, irritants, and carcinogens as tobacco smoke that can be breathed deeply into the lungs, which can cause lung irritation and asthma attacks and makes respiratory infections more likely; exposure to fine particulate matter can exacerbate health problems, especially for people with respiratory conditions like asthma, bronchitis, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; research has shown that secondhand marijuana smoke can do as much damage to the heart and blood vessels as secondhand tobacco smoke; and

WHEREAS, The American Society for Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the standard setting body for the HVAC industry, affirms that mechanical solutions like ventilation cannot control for the health hazards of secondhand smoke, and its standard (62.1) for acceptable indoor air quality is based on an environment that is free from tobacco and marijuana smoke and secondhand aerosol from electronic cigarettes; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we strive to protect and strengthen the Smoke Free Illinois Act and urge the Illinois Department of Public Health to provide a data brief by 2023 on the impact of the Act since 2013 to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Act's enactment; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to the Illinois Department of Public Health.