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Published: July 01, 2008 05:10 pm
Readers' Forum: July 2, 2008
Clearing haze on smoking questions
I am responding to Jeff Ream’s recent letter titled “Do Smoking Areas Do Anyone Harm?” in the Readers’ Forum of June 21. Mr. Ream asks two questions, both of which deserve answers:
Question 1: “Exactly what are the actual points of the statewide law regarding smoking in Indiana?” Actually, there is no statewide law as of yet. However, several cities and counties in Indiana do have ordinances either limiting or eliminating smoking in public places.
Monroe County has one of the most comprehensive ordinances eliminating smoking in all indoor public places, including bars and restaurants. An ordinance such as this is ideal because it protects everyone, from blue-collar to white-collar employees and patrons of their establishments from the deadly effects of secondhand smoke. In fact, according to research from Indiana University, Monroe County’s heart attack admissions to area hospitals decreased by 70 percent after the implementation of the law.
After only 30 minutes of exposure to secondhand smoke, the blood becomes more sticky which can lead to clots and ultimately heart attacks.
In addition, ordinances allowing walls to separate smoking from nonsmoking sections only offer a false sense of security. The toxins in secondhand smoke will travel through shared ventilation systems and pass through doors as they open, not to mention the waitstaff that is continually exposed.
Separate ventilation is not the answer either. According to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, separate ventilation systems do not completely prevent tobacco smoke and its cancer-causing toxins from entering other parts of a building.
For more information on Indiana’s policies on tobacco use, visit www.in.gov/itpc.
Question 2: “Why don’t some facilities [such as Union Hospital] supply a covered smoking facility somewhere in an area that is not publicly visible — what would that hurt anyway?”
While I cannot speak for Union Hospital or other facilities, I can tell you that from a health standpoint, the decision to eliminate smoking completely from the premises makes perfect sense. Hospitals and health clinics exist for the sole purpose of preserving the health and safety of the people in a community. Why then should they allow, and in turn support, a practice that kills thousands every day.
By doing away with tobacco use on their grounds, facilities such as Union Hospital and AP&S Clinic are telling us, “We care about your health, and are willing to do what it takes to protect it.”
As for the harm it would cause to have a covered smoking area, people would still be exposed to the smoke if they were to walk by, and the patients would have to smell the smoke on staff. Even brief exposure to secondhand smoke is extremely harmful, especially if the person being exposed has a severe allergy or asthma.
Residue left on clothes and in hair is also harmful.
Indiana’s free tobacco quitline, 1-800-QUITNOW, is offering free nicotine replacement therapy (gum, patch, etc.) while supplies last. This is a great resource for anyone interested in quitting.
— Carrie Evans
Program director Tobacco Prevention & Cessation
C.H.A.N.C.E.S. for Indiana Youth
Terre Haute
A little help would be appreciated
I would like to respond to the June 21 article on Page 1 as to who is responsible for the recent storm when a tree falls on someone’s property.
Yes, it happened to my husband and me. Our neighbor’s tree fell on an electrical line blocking the street and our driveway. The electrical line was only three feet above our driveway which meant we had no access in or out of our driveway.
My husband found another place to park when he came home from work. I could not get my car out in the morning to go to work. The city did come at 3 a.m. to cut down the tree. Yes, I would like to thank the city for their great job. But wherever the tree fell, they left it.
Mind you, after they did this, we still did not have power and our driveway was more blocked then ever. Would you like to know what I faced in the morning? My neighbor’s tree blocking the street and my driveway.
As you guessed, I could not get my car out of our driveway and had to attempt to move these huge tree branches that the city just threw in my driveway.
My husband and I have only lived in this city for five years. This is the only city that we have lived in that the city is unwilling to help us out. We had a water problem with our house being located at the bottom of a hill and a levee above us. We needed a curb put in because our land was being washed away.
Guess what they told us? It was not in the budget. Mind you, the engineers did approve for us to put in a curb to protect our house from water damage, which we did. Was the city willing to help? Absolutely not! Was our house OK with this last storm? Yes, and I thank God every night.
My hearts go out to all the families who have been hurt by the recent storm. Will the city help? Let’s see!
— Cindy Wilson
Terre Haute
Great support for Strawberry Fest
On behalf of the members of First Congregational Church, the Strawberry Fest Committee, the Mayflower Guild, and the Church Board, we would like to thank all of Terre Haute and the Wabash Valley for making the 20th Annual Strawberry Fest a great success.
Without the support of volunteers from so many community businesses, organizations and agencies, we would not be able to bring together our friends and neighbors to celebrate downtown Terre Haute and the work of First Congregational Church. While you are too many to mention individually, we appreciate your dedication to our community and your support of this historic church.
Thank you, too, to the area media outlets for their continued backing and help in getting the word out. A very special thank you to Scott and everyone at B&B Foods for ensuring that we didn’t run out of anything and that this year’s biscuits were top notch. As always, our hats are off to our very best neighbor, First Financial Bank, for their generous sharing of the parking lot and their true spirit of community. Thank you one and all.
We hope to see you again next year as we celebrate the 21st Annual Strawberry Fest and First Congregational Church’s 175th Anniversary.
— Rev. Donald C. Mullen
— Rev. Dawn Curlee Carlson
First Congregational Church
Terre Haute
A wonderful story of hope
Concerning the Tribune-Star feature article by Verna Davis:
Well, Verna, you’ve done it again. You have made my day with the story of “Jake’s Journey”. How wonderful to read about a young man doing something good with all the negativity we hear/read nowadays.
God bless all of you who helped guide this young man to the place where he was meant to be. This just proves, in our own small community, how God works in the here and now, and not just reading about it in biblical times.
I hope you and Channel 10 continue to follow him and even do more stories on the Pinehaven Ranch and Mr. Larsson.
Hey Jake, what do your former classmates, teachers, etc., think of you now? God bless you.
— Carolyn Wilson
Paris, Ill.
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