From: Joe@smokefree.org
Date: Mon, 01/16/06
To send a letter in support of smokefree PA, go to www.smokefree.net/PA
For immediate release
Poll - 84% of Pennsylvanians support smokefree workplaces
Pittsburgh / Harrisburg - - A new statewide poll finds that 84% of adults
agree that "all employees in Pennsylvania should have the right to a smokefree
workplace." The results were consistent across every region of the state, among
both genders, and over all races, education and income levels.
When asked "Should all employees in Pennsylvania have the right to a
smokefree workplace?" 83.7% of 859 respondents in the 2005 Penn State Poll
answered "Yes." The Penn State Poll http://csr.hbg.psu.edu/poll.htm is an
annual random telephone survey of Pennsylvanians 18 years and older, conducted
by the Center for Survey Research at Penn State Harrisburg. The poll was
completed on December 17, 2005, and has a sampling error of plus or minus 3.4
percent.
"You shouldn't have to choose between your health and your job," said Greg
Hartley, Assistant Director of Smokefree Pennsylvania, which commissioned the
poll question. "Elected officials need to serve their constituents by enacting
smokefree legislation," added Hartley. Legislation introduced by Senator
Stewart Greenleaf (R-Montgomery), SB 602, in the Senate Health and Welfare
Committee, would ensure a smokefree environment in virtually all workplaces,
including bars and slot casinos.
Hundreds of municipalities, eleven US states (including Delaware, New York
and New Jersey) and even entire nations (Ireland, Italy, Sweden and others) have
enacted smokefree workplace laws. Tobacco smoke pollution contains respirable
particulates at levels that exceed National Ambient Air Quality Standards
(NAAQS) for outdoor air pollution, over 50 carcinogens and thousands of other
contaminants. Smokefree laws have been found to significantly improve the lung
function of bar workers.
To send a letter in support of smokefree PA, go to www.smokefree.net/PA
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