Buzz Mills
New Member
California may get tougher on its smokers
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SAN FRANCISCO - California regulators will decide today whether to accept a controversial new finding that secondhand smoke causes breast cancer, a decision that could lead to even tougher anti-smoking regulations.
The state's Environmental Protection Agency analyzed recent studies and determined that secondhand smoke causes an average 68 percent increase in breast cancer risk for women younger than 50. Some women who have not reached menopause have as much as a 120 percent higher risk, CalEPA's report found.
However, none of the nation's leading cancer research organizations, including the American Cancer Society, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the National Cancer Institute, has endorsed the breast cancer finding. If regulators on California's powerful Air Resources Board accept the report today and list secondhand smoke as a "toxic air contaminant," a process would begin to determine whether tougher restrictions on exposure are warranted.
California already has the nation's toughest anti-tobacco laws, including bans on smoking in bars, restaurants and all but a few workplaces. About the only potential areas left are homes, vehicles and some outdoor settings. Homes are considered off-limits because of privacy concerns, but the board, after studying the potential economic impact, could decide to ban smoking in vehicles carrying children. A 1999 law requires the board to pay special attention to children's heath risks.
http://tinyurl.com/7av92
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SAN FRANCISCO - California regulators will decide today whether to accept a controversial new finding that secondhand smoke causes breast cancer, a decision that could lead to even tougher anti-smoking regulations.
The state's Environmental Protection Agency analyzed recent studies and determined that secondhand smoke causes an average 68 percent increase in breast cancer risk for women younger than 50. Some women who have not reached menopause have as much as a 120 percent higher risk, CalEPA's report found.
However, none of the nation's leading cancer research organizations, including the American Cancer Society, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the National Cancer Institute, has endorsed the breast cancer finding. If regulators on California's powerful Air Resources Board accept the report today and list secondhand smoke as a "toxic air contaminant," a process would begin to determine whether tougher restrictions on exposure are warranted.
California already has the nation's toughest anti-tobacco laws, including bans on smoking in bars, restaurants and all but a few workplaces. About the only potential areas left are homes, vehicles and some outdoor settings. Homes are considered off-limits because of privacy concerns, but the board, after studying the potential economic impact, could decide to ban smoking in vehicles carrying children. A 1999 law requires the board to pay special attention to children's heath risks.
http://tinyurl.com/7av92