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“The debate is over. The science
is clear. Secondhand smoke is not a
mere annoyance, but a serious health
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U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona, June 27, 2006 |
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Someone dies every 6 seconds from tobacco related illnesses. 1200 per day in America alone.
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Breathe Free Mat-Su is a coalition of health advocates and concerned citizens committed to improving the health of our community by creating an environment free from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.
Secondhand smoke kills an estimated 50,000 nonsmokers in the United States each year. Over the past decade, hundreds of communities, including some in Alaska, have led efforts to protect public health by adopting smokefree laws.
We believe people in the Mat-Su Valley deserve that same protection. We encourage businesses, including restaurants and bars, to adopt voluntary smokefree policies, and we are working to build support for local clean air ordinances similar to those in Anchorage and Juneau.
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Upcoming events and information |
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"When I worked for Hospice of Mat-Su, over time, I watched a husband who smoked be admitted to hospice with terminal emphysema. Two years later, I watched his spouse who never smoked be admitted for lung cancer. It doesn't have to be that way. Everyone has a right to clean indoor air."
Elizabeth Ripley, Executive Director, Mat-Su Health Foundation |
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“Before we went smokefree, whether you worked in the smoking section or not you still had to be around it all the time. You left smelling like smoke.And
a lot of people just wouldn’t come here because of the smoke. Now it’s so much better--our employees are happier and our customers are happier. It’s been really good for our business.”
Kristi Tanner, a waitress at Windbreak Café & Lounge since 2001. Windbreak has been smokefree since 2005. |
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“Secondhand smoke can be broken into three main risk categories: effects on pregnant women; effects on children, and effects on adults. With my more than 20 years of medical experience as a family practice physician, I have seen the negative effects in all three of these categories. One of the most recent was a devastating death from lung cancer caused by secondhand smoke.” Dr. Robert Neubauer, Mat-Su Regional Medical Center.
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