As a musician and native Louisianan, I love playing down home music for the wonderful people of my home state. But a lifetime of doing what I love has meant having to compromise my health just to make a living. Some of you might not know this - but I am a lung cancer survivor. And, my doctors told me that secondhand smoke was a major contributor to my illness.
The Louisiana Smoke-Free Air Act (Act 815), which eliminated smoking in most workplaces, including restaurants, has been in effect for almost three years. Unfortunately, my fellow musicians across our great state and I still have to breathe dangerous secondhand smoke while at work, doing what we do best.
I am proud to announce that I have joined forces with fellow musicians, bar workers, and casino workers in Louisiana with support from The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living to launch a new statewide campaign called “Equal Air for All” to speak out and achieve the healthy, smoke – free air we all deserve while at work – just like millions of other employees in Louisiana who already do.
This campaign, which can be seen on television, print and billboard advertising and heard on the radio, features real Louisiana musicians, like myself, and bar and casino employees from around the state. We’re speaking out for smoke-free air where we work, but we can’t do this alone. Your support is needed!!!
I hope you will visit www.LetsBeTotallyClear.org to check out the faces of the campaign and find out how you can help us achieve a healthier, smoke-free workplace that ensures that there’s equal air for all in Louisiana.
You can also become a fan of our facebook page or follow us on Twitter @BeTotallyClear.
Sincerely,
David Egan
Young Adult Tobacco Facts
1. Want a good job? Here’s a tip. Over 6,000 companies do not
hire smokers.
Source: Ozols JB. A job or a
cigarette? Newsweek. February 24, 2005. Retrieved online at
http://www.workrights.org/in_the_news/in_the_news_newsweek.html.
2. Formaldehyde is one of the ingredients used in cigarettes.
Yeah, it’s the same stuff used to preserve the dead frogs you
dissected in Biology.
Source: Baker RR. The
generation of formaldehyde in cigarettes: Overview and recent
experiments. 2006; 44(11): 1799-1822.
3. Studies show non-smoking women are the sexiest around. You
can’t argue with scientific evidence.
Source: Hines D, Fretz AC, Nollen NL. Regular and occasional smoking
by college students: personality attributions of smokers and
nonsmokers. Psychological Reports. 1998; 83(3): 1299-1306.
4. Smoking causes excess belly fat. So that new diet probably won’t
work if cigarettes are still on the menu.
Source: Troisi RJ, Heinold JW, Vokonas PS, Weiss ST. Cigarette
smoking, dietary intake, and physical activity: effects on body fat
distribution: The Normative Aging Study. American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition. 1991, 53:1104-1111.
5. Think Fido and Kitty are cute?
Second-hand smoke cause asthma and oral cancer in cats. Second-hand
smoke also puts dogs at higher risk for nasal, sinus, and lung
cancer.
Source: Reif KS, Bruns C, Lower KS. Cancer of the nasal cavity and
paranasal sinuses and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in pet
dogs. American Journal of Epidemiology. 1998, 147(5):488-492.
Source: Bertone ER, Snyder LA, Moore AS. Environmental tobacco smoke
and risk of malignant lymphoma in pet cats. American Journal of
Epidemiology. 2002, 156:268-273.
6. Guys who smoke are more likely to have mutated sperm. How’s that
for a Facebook status update?
Source: Potts RJ, Newbury CJ, Smith G, Notarianni LJ, Jefferies TM.
Sperm chromatin damage associated with male smoking. Mutation
research/fundamental and molecular mechanisms of mutagenesis. 1999;
423 (1):103-111.
Steps to be Successful in Quitting
I AM quitting because I want to:
- Live a healthier lifestyle
- Lower my risk of heart attack, cancer and other illnesses
- Avoid early wrinkles
- Save money
- Be an example for my friends and family
I WILL be successful if I:
- Plan for success
- Talk with a trained counselor at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669)
- Log on to www.quitwithusla.org
- Ask my doctor for Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) - patches or medication
I CAN deal with my cravings if I:
- Chew gum, eat hard candy or healthy snacks
- Drink plenty of fluids
- Talk with a friend who supports me
- Take a walk or shower
- Work on a hobby
- Brush teeth
Why LSU Should Be Smoke-Free
LSU has a problem, and the time has come to address it. SmokingWords has been tracking undergraduate smoking patterns since 2000. Even though the smoking rate dropped to about 22 percent prior to Katrina/Rita, it climbs back up to around 27 percent after the disaster. For more information, go to the following links:
SmokingWords/TFL Total LSU Results
It's Time to Re-evaluate LSU's Smoking Policies
SmokingWords Policy Revision Steps
Although smoking has been eliminated in all areas of Tiger Stadium, there are still several spots on campus where smoking is still allowed in violation of LSU's smoking policy. The policy states that smoking should not be allowed near entranceways to buildings and that the rights of nonsmokers should be respected.
However, it remains impossible to enter Middleton Library without breathing secondhand smoke. The smoking receptacles and benches occupied mostly by smokers are located immediately outside the only public entrance to the building. The overhangs across the entire front of the building prevent smoking from dispersing, and secondhand smoke is often sucked into the building when the automatic doors slide open. This sets up dangerous exposure for both students and faculty entering the building and for employees who work on the ground floor for several hours a day. Complain today!
Smoking Costs Calculator
When you quit smoking...
1. Blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal in 20 minutes
2. Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels drop by 50% after 8 hours
3. Body becomes carbon-monoxide-free after 1 day
4. Sense of taste and smell improve after 2 days
5. Energy increases and breath becomes easy after 3 days
6. Circulation improves within two to 12 weeks
7. Lung function increases after 3 to 9 months
8. Heart-attack risk drops by 50% after 1 year
9. Lung cancer risk drops by 50% after 10 years
10. Heart-attack risk becomes the same as non-smokers after 15 years
Uncomfortable feelings disappear quickly
1. Irritability lasts less than 4 weeks
2. Depression continues less than 4 weeks
3. Restlessness lasts less than 4 weeks
4. Poor concentration remains less than 2 weeks
Please comply with the new rules in Tiger Stadium. Bring chewing gum, hard candy or plastic straws to chew on. Consider using nicotine gum or nicotine patches to be more comfortable during the game. Use the same strategies you use on long airplane flights to make it through the game. Find alternatives to stress reduction if the game is too exciting: take deep breaths, drink a lot of water and tell yourself to be calm. Of course, the best way to prevent smoking in Tiger Stadium is to kick the habit while the Tigers are kicking the ball.
White teens take smoking cues from the movies
Media plays a significant
role in influencing smoking habit among white kids. A report on kid
smoking found that white teenagers who like to watch R-rated movies or
have television sets in their bedrooms are more than twice likely to
smoke than white teens who don't. But however, African American teens
seem to be influenced less even though they watched more R-rated
movies than their white classmates and are more likely to have their
own TVs.
One possibility cited in the study was that black teens didn't relate
as well to the movie characters because most were white. Other
scientist found that programs that engaged children psychologically
were the most effective in encouraging them to smoke. Nevertheless,
the biggest factors influencing kid smoking were having best friends
who smoked, being a thrill-seeker and having inattentive parents.
Sources: White
teens take smoking cues from the movies, By
Karen Kaplan, Times Staff Writer
March 6, 2007
Nicotine Boost Was Deliberate
In recently years, manufacturers deliberately boosted nicotine levels in cigarettes to more effectively hook smokers. This study by Harvard researchers further confirmed a landmark Massachusetts Department of Public health study released last August, which showed that the amount of nicotine that could be inhaled from cigarettes increased an average of 10 percent from 1998 through 2004. However, the report did not address causes of the nicotine increase. The Harvard study used information supplied by the industry.
Philip Morris, the biggest US tobacco maker, rebuked such analysis, saying that the nicotine levels of Marlboro product have fluctuated and the rates in 1997 and 2006 were identical.
Sources available at http:www.boston.com/news.local/massachusetts/articles/2007/01/18/nicotine_boost_was_deliberate_study_says/
Louisiana Smoke-Free Air Act
Louisiana legislatives passed the Louisiana Smoke-Free Air Act (Act 815) in 2006 in response to Louisiana citizens who want and deserve the right to breathe clean, smoke-free air. This marks a major turning point for our state, placing Louisiana among national leaders in an effort to protect Americans from the dangers of secondhand smoke.
The Louisiana Smoke-Free Air Act prohibits smoking in most public places and workplaces, including all restaurants with or without attached bars. Smoking will still be allowed in stand-alone bars and casinos.
The Louisiana Smoke-Free Air Act also covers: Cafeterias, Sandwich stands, School cafeterias, Kitchen, Catering facilities, Banks, Healthcare facilities, Hotel-motel lobbies, Public transportation, Sports arenas, Theaters, Shopping malls, Laundromats, Reception areas/waiting rooms, Retail stores, Places of employment, Private residences when used for licensed child care, day care or health care facility centers or those carrying children ages 12 and younger, Education facilities, Schools (elementary and secondary), and School buildings (entire campus within school gates and school buses).
to learn how this legislation affects you and the public places that you go, visit The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living.
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