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Clean Indoor Air Policy is Good for Business

Clean Indoor Air Policy is Good for Business. Presentation to the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce October 21, 2002 Bianca Ortiz Wertheim, MBA Director of Government Relations American Cancer Society. The Toll Of Tobacco On New Mexicans. Current Tobacco use in New Mexico

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Clean Indoor Air Policy is Good for Business

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  1. Clean Indoor Air Policy is Good for Business Presentation to the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce October 21, 2002 Bianca Ortiz Wertheim, MBA Director of Government Relations American Cancer Society

  2. The Toll Of Tobacco On New Mexicans • Current Tobacco use in New Mexico • 36% of high school students smoked last month. • 23.6% of adults in NM smoke. • 12,400 kids under 18 try cigarettes for the first time each year. • 5,400 kids under 18 become new regular, daily smokers. • 103,000 kids are exposed to second hand smoke at home.

  3. The Toll Of Tobacco On New Mexicans Illness and Death Caused by Tobacco • 2,100 adults die each year in NM from smoking • 650 Bernalillo County residents die each year from tobacco-related disease • 230 to 420 deaths occur from others’ smoking (secondhand smoke) – 53,000 in US • 2,930 pregnancies and births in NM are adversely affected by smoking • Smoking in pregnancy accounts for 10% of all infant deaths • 2,300 NM kids have lost one parent to smoking-related causes

  4. The Toll Of Tobacco On New Mexicans • Almost all cases of lung cancer are caused by tobacco. • Almost half of all continuing smokers die from disease caused by smoking. • Smoking is the cause of 29% of all cancers. • Secondhand smoke is the 3rd leading preventable cause of death in US behind only active smoking and alcohol. • Smoking kills more people than alcohol, AIDS, car crashes, illegal drugs, murders and suicides combined.

  5. Private Sector BurdenCost of Employee Health Care • Tobacco Use Prevention Policy is sound economic policy • Currently, costs are shifted onto private sector • New Mexico burden $37.7 million each year in Medicaid funds on Tobacco Related illness • Smoking-caused productivity losses in New Mexico = $397 million • Total annual Medicaid costs are $143.9 million for tobacco-related illness. • Healthy work force

  6. Private Sector BurdenCost of Employee Health Care cont. • Survey of Albuquerque Metro Business Owners/ Executives • 75% feel this is a serious problem* • New Mexicans Concerned About Tobacco Survey: • over 87% of business owners surveyed support ordinance** *Research & Polling Jan 2002 Metro Area Business Survey/GACC **Research & Polling Aug 2002 NMCAT survey of registered voters in Albuquerque

  7. New Mexicans with Breathing Problems • In Bernalillo County alone, there are an estimated 56,921 persons who suffer from chronic lung disease • Lung cancer = 202 • Emphysema = 5,361 • Bronchitis = 17,317 • Adult Asthma = 27,098 • Pediatric Asthma = 6,943 Source: American Lung Association, April 2002

  8. What is Secondhand Smoke? • Group A carcinogen: a substance known to cause cancer in humans for which there is no safe level of exposure • Contains more than 4,000 chemicals, of which at least 40 are established carcinogens • Contains most of the same chemicals as the smoke that smokers inhale; however concentration of the most toxic and carcinogenic chemicals is much higher in secondhand smoke

  9. What is Secondhand Smoke? • Leading source of toxic chemical exposure • Number one environmental cause of cancer

  10. All outdoor air pollutants (radionuclides, asbestos, arsenic, benzene, coke oven emissions, and vinyl chloride) Radiation Pesticides on food Active hazardous waste sites Inactive hazardous waste sites Chemicals in drinking water All workplace chemicals All consumer products (including asbestos) Pesticide application Contaminated sludge Mining wastes Number of cancer deaths from secondhand smoke is higher than total cancer deaths from the following pollutants combined:

  11. Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke • Asthma: Induction and Exacerbation • Eye and Nasal Irritation • Cancer: Lung and Nasal Sinus • Heart Disease and Stroke • Low Birth Weight • SIDS • Respiratory Infections

  12. Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke on Workers • Restaurant and bar workers’ exposure to secondhand smoke is much greater than the patrons who frequent the establishment, since full-time employees are immersed in the same toxic smoking environment as their patrons, but for 8 hours/day • Secondhand smoke levels in restaurants are 150% higher than in a home with at least one smoker • Secondhand smoke levels in bars are 450% higher than in a home with at least one smoker

  13. Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke on Workers cont. • Wait staff die of lung cancer at a 50% to 90% higher rate than other workers as a result of secondhand smoke exposure. • Bartenders have death rates form lung cancer, heart disease, and overall mortality 1½ times higher than for all other workers even after accounting for active smoking, alcohol use and socioeconomic status

  14. What About the Economic Impact of Clean Indoor Air Policies? • Eliminating smoking does NOT hurt business • The public prefers smokefree restaurants and bars • The overwhelming majority of bar patrons do not smoke in bars

  15. How can you tell if smokefree measures affect the hospitality business? No properly conducted study shows a negative economic impact. Some even show that a smokefree measure improves business. In the meantime, as evidence mounts about the dangers of secondhand smoke, so does the legal liability of employers — including restaurants.

  16. What is the experience in other localities?

  17. The Facts Behind Smokefree Policies • More than 200 credible, peer reviewed studies show that there is no economic harm to smokefree ordinances “For every smoker you lose, you gain a table of eight nonsmokers.” Manager of Denny’s, Las Cruces Carlsbad Current-Argus, July 30, 2000

  18. Mesa, Arizona Independent analysis of sales tax data shows that Mesa's smokefree restaurant measure (blue line) had no effect on hospitality revenues.

  19. Anchorage, Alaska

  20. California Experience

  21. Eating establishment’s taxable annual sales in California by liquor license type, 1992-1999 Billion Dollars Smoke-free Restaurants Smoke-free Bars Source: California State Board of Equalization. Prepared by: California Department of Health Services, Tobacco Control Section, November 2001.

  22. Number of Eating and Drinking Establishments in California by Major License Type:1991-2000* Smoke-free Restaurants Smoke-free Bars Establishments Year Data reflects mid-year count of establishments. * Data missing for 1995 due to computer failure and loss of data. Source: State of California, Alcohol Beverage Control (5/00)

  23. Number of Individuals Employed in Eating and Drinking Places in California: 1992-2000Annual Average Labor Force Smoke-free Restaurants Smoke-free Bars Number of Employees Increase of 19.5% in 9 years as compared to a 13.5% increase for all employment statewide over the same period. Year Source: State of California, Employment Development Department, Labor Force Statistics (4/01)

  24. People Prefer Smokefree Establishments • Polls show people prefer smokefree environments • Nearly 80% of Albuquerque residents DON’T smoke “Restaurant and bar owners predicted that smokers would simply leave and go to Juárez – that never happened.” Mayor pro tem Larry Medina As quoted in the Albuquerque Journal, 9/15/02

  25. USA SNAPSHOTS® A look at statistics that shape the nation Smoke gets in their hair More than half of Americans say they regularly avoid places to keep from smelling of cigarette smoke afterward. Places they avoid: Bars/lounges Nightclubs Homes of smokers Restaurants Private parties 70% 59% 59% 48% 33% Source: NFO Research for Banish By Anne R. Carey and Suzy Parker, USA TODAY

  26. How concerned are you about the health effects of secondhand smoke? Concerned 83%Not Concerned 16%

  27. Likelihood of Albuquerque Voters Going to a Non-Smoking Restaurant If you knew a restaurant was non-smoking only, would you be more or less likely to go to it? More Likely: 68% Less Likely: 8% 53 Total numbers are rounded Research & Polling, Inc. (8/02)

  28. Likelihood of Albuquerque Voters Going to a Non-Smoking Bar or Nightclub If you knew a bar or nightclub was non-smoking only, would you be more or less likely to go to it? More Likely: 52% Less Likely: 18% 40 Total numbers are rounded Research & Polling, Inc. (8/02)

  29. Smokefree Policies MeanMore Customers and Less Cost • Lower maintenance expenses (carpets, drapes, cloths, paintwork) • Lower insurance premiums (fire, medical, workers comp, liability) • Lower labor costs (absenteeism, productivity)

  30. Higher operating costs = lower profit • If a restaurant loses no business by going smokefree — but operating costs for maintenance, insurance, and labor do go down — net income should actually go up. • Wisconsin Restaurant Association told members in 1991: “A smokefree environment has the potential of reducing costs to restaurant operators. There is simply less maintenance because there are no carpet or table burns; less ceiling, window, and drapery cleaning is necessary; and the risk of fire is greatly reduced.” • California Restaurant Association, changed its position to support a smoking ban throughout California. In 1994 helped pass AB 13.

  31. What About Rights/Choice? • Hazardous working conditions are against the law in every other line of work, from carpentry to coal mining. Why should restaurants, bars or bowling alleys be the sole exception? • When Big Tobacco talks about "choice," it’s only trying to take choice away — from you, your customers, and your employees — and make you pay for its profits.

  32. Smokefree Policies Are Good Business • Save lives • Save money • Increase revenues • Smoking may be a choice but breathing is not • These policies protect kids, workers and people with breathing problems

  33. It’s About Health. It’s About Time.

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