CIAA celebrates 10th anniversary
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
News from the Lake County Health Department
LAKE COUNTY — October is the anniversary of Montana’s Clean Indoor Air Act, one of the most important public health laws in history. The Montana legislature passed the Clean Indoor Air Act in 2005. This act recognizes that the need to breathe smokefree air has priority over the desire to smoke. Benefits of the law are many, and include:
— Patrons and workers alike are protected from the deadly health effects of secondhand smoke exposure
— More people who smoke will try to quit
— Fewer Montana youth will begin smoking
In 2006, the Surgeon General’s Report on secondhand smoke concluded that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke and that even short-term exposure can potentially increase the risk of heart attacks. Even though this law passed in 2005, with final implementation in 2009, it is important for citizens to remain vigil in reporting any violations to the state website at http://dphhs.mt.gov/publichealth/mtupp/CIAA. At that website you will see a form to fill out for reporting any violations. You may also call 406-883-7341.
Secondhand smoke causes disease and premature death in children and adults who do not smoke. The smoke exhaled and off the end of the cigarette contains hundreds of chemicals known to be toxic or carcinogenic, including formaldehyde, benzene, vinyl chloride, arsenic, ammonia and hydrogen cyanide. In 2009, an Institute of Medicine confirmed that secondhand smoke causes heart attacks, and that even relatively brief exposure could trigger a heart attack. It also causes or makes worse a wide range of adverse health effects, including lung cancer, respiratory infections, and asthma.
Secondhand smoke is especially harmful to children, causing between 150,000 and 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections in infants under 18 months of age each year, resulting in tens of thousands of hospitalizations, and over 400 sudden infant death syndrome deaths in the U.S. annually. This smoke can also aggravate asthma in children and adults.
Everyone deserves the right to breath clean air, including employees. Reasons for clean indoor air laws, like the chemicals found in smoke, can be found on many good, scientific websites, including the Center for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health and the American Lung Association.
Again, if you see a violation of this important state law that protects our health, go to http://dphhs.mt.gov/publichealth/mtupp/CIAA and fill out a violation report, or call 1-866-787-5247.
