Dear Editor:

Congratulations to the city of South Bend for passing an expanded smoke-free air ordinance during its Common Council meeting on Tuesday night. The new ordinance increases secondhand smoke protections for workers and residents in all South Bend public venues, including bars, taverns, casinos, private clubs and tobacco shops. The use of electronic cigarettes are also prohibited in public venues under the ordinance.

South Bend’s strong smoke-free air ordinance is a major victory for public health. Let us hope more Indiana communities like Warsaw, Syracuse, and North Webster will follow South Bend’s lead, choose strong smoke-free air laws in all public places and help create healthier communities for all Hoosiers.

Secondhand smoke from cigarettes and the aerosol extracted from the e-cigarette has hazardous chemicals mixed with the nicotine is dangerous to breathe and causes tobacco related diseases and death to those who do not smoke or vape.

Each year in the United States, over 41,000 adult deaths are attributed to secondhand smoke breathed by nonsmokers. Of these deaths, each year, over 7,000 are due to lung cancer, and approximately 34,000 are due to heart disease. An estimated 1,426 people in Indiana die prematurely each year due to secondhand smoke exposure. 

Indiana is making progress but is lagging behind the rest of the U.S. in terms of comprehensive coverage. Currently, there are 41 ordinances, of which 36 meet the Surgeon General’s guidelines for clean indoor air laws; 19 of these laws are comprehensive. With the addition of the statewide smoke-free law in 2012, some type of smoke-free air law covers 100 percent of the population. 

To help make Kosciusko County a healthier place to live and a destination that offers a better environment for our visitors, Warsaw, Syracuse and the surrounding communities need to start considering a comprehensive smoke free ordinance.

Dan Gray
Kosciusko County Tobacco Free Coalition