Coastal Post Online
MARIN COUNTY'S NEWS
MONTHLY - FREE PRESS
(415)868-1600 -
(415)868-0502(fax) - P.O. Box 31, Bolinas, CA, 94924
|
|
|
Got Kids in the Car? No More Smoking-It's the Law!
California's new "Smoke-Free Cars with Minors" law took effect on January 1, giving California the most comprehensive smoke-free car law in the nation.
The California legislature passed the law in response to compelling scientific evidence that smoking in cars exposes passengers, especially children, to high levels of toxic secondhand smoke. The law prohibits smoking in a motor vehicle (stationary or moving) in which a youth under the age of 18 is present. A violation is punishable by a fine of up to $100.
According to the 2006 Surgeon General's Report and a recent study published by environmental scientists from Stanford University, there are no safe levels of exposure to secondhand smoke. Peak levels of secondhand smoke from smoking in a car can be up to 10 times greater than the level which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers hazardous.
The American Lung Association of California, and First 5 Alameda County/Every Child Counts believe the new law will help educate more parents and other adults about the dangers of smoking with children riding in cars. Likewise, the two organizations believe the new law will have an added benefit in certain Bay Area communities where Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is unusually high. Exposure to secondhand smoke places babies at risk for SIDS and causes up to one million asthma attacks in children per year in the state. And in communities like West Oakland and Bayview Hunters Point where asthma is five times higher than the national average, the risks for asthma attacks and other lung diseases from secondhand smoke are higher.
Children are more susceptible to the hazards of secondhand smoke because their lungs are still developing, and they breathe more rapidly than adults. "I've treated thousands of children and observed firsthand the ill-effects of secondhand smoke on young children. And now, with the link between exposure to secondhand smoke and SIDS, it is crucial that we take every measure to protect the health and well-being of our children," stated Dr. Pamela Simms-Mackey, Chair of the First 5 Alameda County Commission, Pediatrician and Associate Director of Medical Education at Children's Hospital & Research Center in Oakland. "The smoke-free car law is a step in the right direction," she added.
"While smoking has declined dramatically in California, there are still four million people in the state who smoke. And many of them have young children. Not only are they putting themselves at risk for serious lung disease, they are unfairly exposing their children to the same risks. The American Lung Association of California applauds the legislature for taking this bold stand and passing a tough law that will save lives," stated Karen Fulton-Holine, Regional Vice President of the American Lung Association of California.
For people who want to quit smoking, the American Lung Association offers free online support through its "Freedom From Smoking" program at www.ffsonline.org or by calling 800.LUNG.USA and choosing option "2" to reach the American Lung Association's free HelpLine staffed by registered nurses and respiratory therapists.