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A Resolution of the County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, urging the Pennsylvania General Assembly to enact legislation to protect the public's health and welfare from tobacco smoke in public places throughout the Commonwealth.
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WHEREAS, tobacco smoke, also referred to as secondhand smoke, has been classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a known cause of lung cancer in humans, a Class A carcinogen, to which there is no safe level of exposure; and
WHEREAS, many studies have found that tobacco smoke is a major contributor to indoor air pollution and that exposure to secondhand smoke is a cause of many serious health diseases in adult non-smokers and children, and in 1999, the National Cancer Institute determined that secondhand smoke is responsible for the early deaths of 65,000 Americans annually; and
WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends eliminating nonsmokers' exposure to secondhand smoke as one of four overall strategies of a comprehensive tobacco control program to reduce disease, disability and death related to tobacco use; and
WHEREAS, many citizens throughout Pennsylvania are exposed to tobacco smoke due to its widespread presence in public places; and
WHEREAS, a growing number of states and communities have enacted smoke free policies to reduce or eliminate exposure to this harmful substance;
The Council of the County of Allegheny hereby resolves as follows:
Section 1.
Council hereby respectfully requests that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's General Assembly work towards enacting legislation to regulate smoking in public places throughout the Commonwealth. Council further urges the General Assembly to consider the dangerous, unnecessary and involuntary health risks associated with exposure to tobacco smoke, and act accordingly to protect and promote their citizens' health, safety and welfare.
Section 2. Severability. If any provis...
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