Opinion: Hospital CEOs support smoking ban revote

In 2006, the U.S. surgeon general issued a landmark study that officially classified secondhand smoke as “a serious health hazard.” The surgeon general went on to proclaim that “scientific evidence indicates there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.”

Smoke from a burning cigarette contains more than 4,800 chemicals – more than 250 of which are known to be toxic. At least 60 are defined as carcinogens. This means that the smoker, and every single person in proximity to the lit cigarette, inhales these toxic chemicals and known carcinogens. The effects of exposure to secondhand smoke can be nearly as large as chronic, active smoking.

Even brief exposure has an immediate negative impact and can lead to a variety of life-threatening ailments, including coronary heart disease and lung cancer. In addition to heart disease and cancer, the surgeon general has linked secondhand smoke exposure to stroke, emphysema, bronchitis, asthma, respiratory infections and sudden infant death syndrome.

Because the implications for public health are so significant, the leadership of CoxHealth, Mercy, Jordan Valley Community Health Center and Ozarks Community Hospital stand united in our support for Springfieldís voter-approved smoke-free ordinance.

If City Council cannot reach a reasonable compromise related to the smoke-free issue, we support returning the ordinance to the voters, where it originated, so that it can be defended. In our view, adding exemptions that fail to protect the rights of employees to breathe clean indoor air in the workplace would undermine the law, negatively impact the quality of life in this great community, and ultimately jeopardize public health.

—Steven D. Edwards, CoxHealth; Jon Swope, Mercy Springfield Communities; K. Brooks Miller, Jordan Valley Community Health Center; and Paul Taylor, Ozarks Community Hospital

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