FY2015-17 Supporting a SOA Law to Make All Workplaces 100% Smoke Free I Introduced by: Assembly Member Griffin
2 Requested by: Betty MacTavish
3 Drafted by: Betty MacTavish
4 Introduced on: 02/19/2015
5 Adopted on: 02/19/2015
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7 KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH
8 RESOLUTION NO. FY2016-17
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10 A RESOLUTION OF THE ASSEMBLY OF THE KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH
11 SUPPORTING A LAW IN ALASKA TO MAKE ALL WORKPLACES 100%
12 SMOKE FREE TO PROTECT THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF ALL WORKERS
13 AND VISITORS FROM THE DANGERS OF SECONDHAND SMOKE
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15 WHEREAS, secondhand smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, including at least 69 of
16 which are known to cause cancer, including formaldehyde, benzene, vinyl chloride, arsenic,
17 ammonia and hydrogen cyanide, and people who are exposed to secondhand smoke are
18 inhaling many of the same cancer-causing substances and poisons as smokers; and
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20 WHEREAS, numerous studies have found that tobacco smoke is a major contributor to indoor
21 air pollution and that breathing secondhand smoke is a cause of disease in healthy
22 nonsmokers, including heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease and lung cancer; and
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24 WHEREAS, the 2006 U.S. Surgeon General's Report, "The Health Consequences of
25 Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke,"concluded that there is no risk-free level of exposure
26 to secondhand smoke; ventilation and other air cleaning technologies cannot eliminate
27 exposure of nonsmokers to secondhand smoke; and smokefree workplace policies are the only
28 effective way to eliminate secondhand smoke exposure in the workplace; and
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30 WHEREAS, the 2010 U.S. Surgeon General's Report, "How Tobacco Smoke Causes
31 Disease,"determined that even occasional exposure to secondhand smoke is harmful; and
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33 WHEREAS, there are serious questions about the safety of inhaling the substances in some
34 e-cigarette aerosol, and ecigarettes have not been subject to thorough, independent testing,
35 making it difficult for users to be sure of what they are actually inhaling. Some studies have
36 shown that some e-cigarettes can cause short-term lung changes and irritations and the long-
37 term health effects, are unknown; and
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39 WHEREAS, for every nine smokers who die, one nonsmoker dies from exposure to
40 secondhand smoke; and
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42 WHEREAS, approximately half of Alaska's population is not protected by a smokefree
43 workplace law; and
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45 WHEREAS, among those who work primarily indoors, young adults aged 18 to 29 are
46 significantly less likely to be protected by a smokefree indoor workplace policy than other Alaska
47 adults; and
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49 WHEREAS, research in communities where smokefree laws have been adopted has
50 consistently shown neutral or positive economic effects to the hospitality industry following a
51 smokefree workplace requirement; and
Kodiak Island Borough Resolution No. FY2015-17
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53 WHEREAS, smokefree workplace laws protect people from secondhand smoke, reduce
54 tobacco use overall and reduce health care costs; and
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56 WHEREAS, all Alaskans have the right to breathe smokefree air; and
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58 NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE ASSEMBLY OF THE KODIAK ISLAND
59 BOROUGH that we hereby support a law in Alaska to make all workplaces 100% smokefree to
60 protect the health and safety of all workers and visitors from the dangers of secondhand smoke.
61
62 ADOPTED BY THE ASSEMBLY OF THE KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH
63 THIS NINETEENTH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2016
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65 KODIAK SLARB , GH
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68 69 J rro l Friend, ayor
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71 ATT
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75 Nova M. Javier, MMC, Borough rk
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Kodiak Island Borough Resolution No. FY2016-17
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