Last weekend, I walked into a bar and saw people smoking inside. My first reaction: “Why aren’t the bouncers stopping them?” My second reaction: “Why are those cigarettes in cool colors?” I then walked up to these smokers and realized they were smoking E-cigarettes. I have seen them before because my dad tried them to quit a few years ago (he said they didn’t help). But back then, they just looked like long plastic pens. The E-cigarettes these people were smoking came in different colors and they were proud to show them to me.
After they showed me their different E-cigarettes that came in pink, white, black and blue, I blatantly told them that those will not help them stop smoking and there haven’t been enough studies to know if what they are inhaling and exhaling will cause harm. Their responses were along the lines of “At least I’m not smoking a real cigarette.” Although this is a common excuse used by those that smoke e-cigarettes, they are still smoking where and when they would normally be prohibited from doing so. The “freedom” to smoke where you want and the belief that this will help them quit are what grabs consumers, however, a quick Google search shows me that E-cigarette brands acknowledge in small print that they are not a cessation product and are marketing themselves as a new and stylish way to smoke. Read More »
Guest Blogger – Jaime Jenett, MPH, Policy Coordinator, Contra Costa Tobacco Prevention Project
Worldwide, 40% of women are exposed to secondhand smoke regularly. Secondhand smoke doesn’t only make us sick, it’s killing us. Women make up 47% of the 600,000 annual secondhand smoke deaths throughout the world, compared to 26% men.
I always found secondhand smoke irritating but I never knew how dangerous it is until I started working in tobacco control. I didn’t know this toxic substance can actually trigger cardiac events in people with heart disease or that even low levels are harmful.
The majority of the secondhand smoke complaint calls I take as part of my job are from women. They usually call because secondhand smoke is drifting from a neighboring apartment or condominium. Many of the women and their children have health issues that are being made worse by the smoke. They are literally trapped in their homes with toxic fumes. They call me because they don’t know what to do.
The World Health Organization and the U.S. Surgeon General have determined that the most effective way to protect people from secondhand smoke is through secondhand smoke protections policies. Despite this, only 7.4% of the world lives in jurisdictions with comprehensive smoke-free laws. In California, the state law protects people in a few places including most indoor workplaces. In the last ten years, an increasing number of local communities are adding even more protections. Read More »
There has been lots of interesting dialogue in the world of smokefree housing this month at both the local and state level. Earlier this month County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky posted blog about the great work happening in Los Angeles County around smokefree multiunit housing and Monday the Contra Costa Times posted an article about a perspective Walnut Creek secondhand smoke ordinance that would prohibit smoking in indoor and outdoor common areas. And in state news, just last week Assembly Member Marc Levine introduced AB 746 which would prohibit smoking in all multiunit housing in California. We know that secondhand smoke is more than a nuisance, in fact there are some huge health impacts when it comes to drifting secondhand smoke; heart disease, asthma, lung cancer and stroke just to name a few. Read More »
Recently, I was flipping through the newest issue of Women’s Health Magazine and came across an article about third-hand smoke. At first, I was taken aback because I had never heard of it before. If you know any smokers, you have smelled that stale, lingering smoke before. That is third-hand smoke!
Did you ever think just that smell could be harmful? I never gave that a thought until today. I read a little further and learned that you can breathe in third-hand smoke from almost anything exposed to smoke, such as clothing and furniture. The toxins from cigarette smoke can also build up on these items to create a bigger hazard. Research has shown that third-hand smoke is a health hazard for infants and children, and can lead to respiratory issues and ear infections. Read More »
Guest Blogger – Serena Chen, American Lung Association in California
Over the past 20+ years as a tobacco control advocate I have met some pretty special people – one of the most memorable has been Kenneth Leung, who, at the time I met him in 2007 was 77 years old and ready to fight for the right to be able to breath in his own home.
A former smoker, he had emphysema and had quickly realized that shortly after moving into a senior housing complex in Alameda that his health was deteriorating due to the smoke drifting into his apartment from his downstairs neighbor. Although the property manager offered to move him to a “safer” unit, he refused because “someone else would be put into harm’s way.”
He called the American Lung Association and found me who asked him to wait until I could set aside some time to help him. He didn’t listen. He began to organize his fellow residents to advocate for non-smoking buildings within the 168-unit complex. He brought the issue up with the City of Alameda Housing Commission, ultimately recruiting nine other tenants to attend a commission meeting and brought letters of support from an additional eight residents.
As a result of his efforts, the Smoking Policy Committee was established in July 2007 with Housing Authority staff, residents from the Independence Plaza complex including Mr. Leung, and me. He had started the “revolution” without me and now I was joining in to help him bring it to a successful outcome. Along the way, he worked with the Chinese-speaking residents who made up about a quarter of the residents to ensure that they understood the process.
He told me that when he turned 70 he sat down and reviewed his life to see what achievements he was most proud of. “I had nothing. What I can do here [for smokefree housing] is going to be it,” he explained to me. How could I not help this man! Read More »
Last weekend, I walked into a bar and saw people smoking inside. My first reaction: “Why aren’t the bouncers stopping them?” My second reaction: “Why are those cigarettes in cool colors?” I then walked up to these smokers and realized they were smoking E-cigarettes. I have seen them before because my dad tried them to quit a few years ago (he said they didn’t help). But back then, they just looked like long plastic pens. The E-cigarettes these people were smoking came in different colors and they were proud to show them to me.
