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flickr photo courtesy of Ants Colony The good news from today’s hearing by the D.C. Council’s Committee on Transportation and the Environment on two smokefree playground bills: The committee’s chair, Mary Cheh (Ward 3), was extremely receptive to the testimony of those who spoke. She said she would like to expand the scope of the bill, [...] flickr photo courtesy of cryptic_star Smoke-free playgrounds? That would definitely be a step in the right direction here in the District of Columbia. D.C. Councilmember Vincent Orange this week introduced a bill that would make areas near playgrounds smoke-free. According to the bill text sent to us by Orange’s office, the measure would: prohibit smoking within 25 feet of [...] Update: The Montgomery County Council today extended protections for non-smokers from secondhand smoke. Way to go! One of the provisions of the measure makes bus stops smokefree. Will the District follow suit? It should. Montgomery County Councilmember Nancy Floreen, who sponsored the measure, noted: There is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. We are stewards of public [...] flickr photo courtesy of kristib2pea The final questionnaires are in. Of the candidates who responded, two rose to the top: David Grosso, who is running at large and received an “A,” and Council Member Phil Mendelson, who is running for Council chair and received a “B.” The remaining candidates who answered the questionnaire primarily got Ds and [...] Here’s some compelling evidence in support of making outdoor bars and restaurants smokefree: A new study shows that people who are exposed to secondhand smoke at outdoor bars and restaurants can suffer the same kinds of health effects as people exposed inside. In the study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, researchers collected urine and saliva samples [...] Flickr photo courtesy of A Nu Life While the D.C. Council is busy weakening the city’s popular smokefree workplaces law, neighboring jurisdictions are doing the opposite. Montgomery County has passed a law making the common areas of multiunit housing, such as apartment and condo lobbies and laundry rooms, somkefree. It also requires the area within 25 [...] New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to make the city’s parks, playground, beaches, boardwalks, plazas and other outdoor spaces smokefree. All of them. Three cheers to Bloomberg! He knows that just because it’s outside doesn’t mean that people who are near smokers don’t inhale the carcinogens. Bloomberg, who spent a lot of political capital when he [...] New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is considering making parks and beaches smokefree, The New York Times reports. Not only for health reasons — secondhand smoke drifts, he notes — but for litter reasons too (I’ve never quite understood why smokers who toss butts on the ground think the world is their ashtray). “When you ask [...] |
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