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Concerned citizens rally for smoke-free DIA

Contributed by: Dana Brandorff on 6/3/2008

Health and chronic disease prevention organizations launched a public education and awareness campaign June 3 aimed at convincing Denver city leaders to follow through on the original intent of a Mayoral Executive Order, Executive Order 99 (issued in 1990), which would have made Denver's International Airport 100% smoke-free indoors more than 16 years ago. The "smoke-free DIA" coalition announced its campaign from the front steps of Denver's City and County Building.

For more than two decades, clean indoor air advocates, as well as political and other community leaders, have been taking steps to make Colorado communities and the entire state 100% smoke-free indoors. Despite the states' passage of the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act of 2006, as well as a 2007 measure to ban smoking in the casinos, efforts to put out the smoking lamp at DIA have been unsuccessful.

"Despite the success the clean indoor air movement has had with businesses including restaurants and bars, and every other public building in the state in recent years, DIA remains a glaring exception to the rule," said R.J. Ours, Colorado Director of Government Relations for the American Cancer Society. Ours added, "Much has changed for the better in the relationship between the traveling public, the aviation industry, and cigarette smoking in public; and significant progress has been made in cleaning up the indoor air quality of other major airports throughout the nation and the around the world."

Since former Denver Mayor Federico Pena issued Executive Order 99 in 1990, major changes have occurred regarding cigarette smoking in airports, public buildings and throughout the airline industry. With the Federal Aviation Act of 1988, smoking on domestic flights of two hours or less was banned, and by 2000 all flights within, and to and from the United States were smoke-free.

According to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, the leading national organization dedicated exclusively to nonsmokers' rights, 8 of the top 10 U.S. airports are smoke-free including Chicago O'Hare, Los Angeles' LAX, and New York's JFK; 24 of the nation's busiest airports are 100% smoke-free; and 136 U.S. airports are completely smoke-free indoors.

To learn more about a smoke-free DIA and the smoking hazards associated with second-hand smoke, visit www.SmokeFreeDIA.org.

Organizations supporting the campaign include the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association of Colorado, the Colorado Tobacco Education and Prevention Alliance, the Group to Alleviate Smoking Pollution, the Colorado Academy of Family Physicians and the Colorado Public Health Association.


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Showing 1-3 of 3 comments
Submitted By: David Sharner
posted on 7/12/2008 @ 10:17:42 PM
(Not Rated)
I agree that second hand and first hand smoke has serious health effects. However, smoke in DIA smoking lounges only affects smokers and nonsmoking employees. Nonsmokers outside these lounges are not affected because of the superior ventilation systems. On http://smokefreedia.com, you discuss nonsmoker’s rights but smoker’s rights are not discussed. This campaign is an attack on smoker’s rights. Allow smokers to suffer the consequences of smoking. Nonsmoking employees that are worried about the health effects are fully capable of finding work at a nonsmoking bar. I understand that that the American Cancer Society is concerned about people’s health but at what cost. Our country is slowly eroding the freedom that it was built on and is getting farther and farther from our originating ideals. It is sad that anyone would think that the way to a better country is to continue to remove others freedoms. Consider these points as you plow forward with your campaign to further erode freedom.
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Submitted By: Macque Daddi
posted on 7/12/2008 @ 11:02:50 AM
(Not Rated)
if ytou dont like smoke, dont go to these restaurants. god knows there are tonnes of other options to choose from at that huge airport. the money spent on this campaign should be used instead to finding a cure for cancer. this is self indulgent nonsense, especially since these bar/restaurants are so few when compared to the other establishments. this offends me
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Submitted By: Bob Johnson
posted on 6/16/2008 @ 6:45:19 AM
(Not Rated)
Did anyone bother to ask the employees whose jobs and tips may be affected?
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Showing 1-3 of 3 comments
CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Dana Brandorff

Littleton , CO

Dana Brandorff has posted 57 stories and 0 comments since joining on 9/14/2005. Dana Brandorff 's average story rating is 5.
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