Smokefree Air Act anniversary marks continuing battle against secondhand smoke.

Albany, GA – The month of July marks the second anniversary of a state law aimed at protecting children and adults from the dangers of secondhand smoke. While Georgia’s Smokefree Air Act has had a positive impact, public health officials caution that smoking remains the No. 1 cause of death.

“More than 10,000 people die in Georgia every year from tobacco-related illnesses,” said Southwest Georgia Public Health District Health Promotion Coordinator David Cooper. “That is more deaths than from alcohol, cocaine and heroin, AIDS, murder, suicide, auto accidents and fires combined.”

Georgia’s Smokefree Air Act prohibits smoking in all public buildings and restaurants where children under the age of 18 are allowed, he said.

“Our goal is to protect the public, especially children, from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke,” said Dr. Jacqueline Grant, health director of the 14-county Southwest Georgia Public Health District. “Secondhand smoke can contribute to or cause severe health problems in nonsmokers as well as smokers. Diseases associated with secondhand smoke include cancer, emphysema, heart disease, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and asthma. Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of secondhand smoke.”

The National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta report that although smoking has declined in recent years, one in five Americans smoke. More than 126 million nonsmoking adults and children in the United States continue to be exposed to secondhand smoke, warned the CDC.

“The two major settings where exposure occurs are the home and the workplace, with the home being the main source of exposure for children,” Cooper said. “Research has shown that the only way to fully protect nonsmokers from exposure is to eliminate smoking indoors. Other approaches, such as nonsmoking areas and ventilation, are not effective.”

Smoking curtails life expectancy as well as affecting overall health, Grant added. “According to a 1998 Georgia Epidemiology Report, smokers who died from a smoking-related disease died an average of 15 years prematurely,” she said. “These deaths were preventable.”

Further, smoking drains Georgians of $1.2 billion in direct healthcare costs each year, said Cooper. Early death and disability due to smoking costs the state $7.5 billion annually in lost earnings.

“Smoking is prohibited in any place in which a non-smoking sign is posted,” he said. “A person smoking in violation of the law will be guilty of a misdemeanor and fined not less than $100 and not more than $500.”

Violations of the act may be reported to the Georgia Department of Human Resources toll-free at 1-877-343-3340, by email at gsmokefreeair@dhr.state.ga.us, at local health departments or at the district health department. Additional information on the Smokefree Air Act is available at www.southwestgeorgiapublichealth.org and http://dhr.georgia.gov/gasmokefreeair.