We will soon have the opportunity to protect people from working in environments with a known class A carcinogen: secondhand smoke.
There is coming before our County Commissioners a proposal to ban smoking in public workplaces including bars and restaurants. We at MeritCare recognize that secondhand smoke is the third leading preventable cause of death killing over 38,000 Americans each year (according to the American Heart Association data).
The Center for Disease Control has made a new advisory that heart patients, or those at risk, avoid indoor smoke-filled environments. We urge you to support enactment of comprehensive smoke-free workplace laws that protect all workers and all customers from the proven dangers of secondhand smoke. All workers have the right to breathe clean air regardless of the occupation they choose. The negative effects of secondhand smoke are not exclusive to any one industry or type of employee. You will hear arguments that customers can choose whether to go to smoke free establishments or not. Unfortunately, this is not true of workers. They work where they can get a job. It is our duty to protect them from being exposed to dangers and toxins at work where we can.
Please urge your commissioner to vote to protect your fellow citizens whether they work in bars, restaurants or wherever. In the process, this vote will be allowing the rest of us to also be safe from this indoor pollutant.
Randel T. Stolee, M.D.
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MeritCare Clinics
Perham and New York Mills
