FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 25, 2007

ANR URGES ATLANTIC CITY LAWMAKERS TO STOP PLAYING POLITICS WITH CASINO WORKER HEALTH

Last night the Atlantic City City Council considered a bill that would have finally given casino workers have the same smokefree workplace protections as all other New Jersey workers. Instead, the council played politics with worker health by amending the bill to allow for smoking sections.

ANR strongly opposes this amendment. The revised bill will not result in smokefree casinos, therefore will not protect health or save lives. More than 20 years ago, the U.S. Surgeon General reported that smoking sections are ineffective. Last June, the Surgeon General confirmed that even fancy smoking rooms and ventilation systems cannot protect against the health dangers of secondhand smoke.

Everyone deserves the right to breathe clean air at work because tobacco smoke causes heart disease, cancer, and premature death.

The ordinance is scheduled for a final reading on February 7th. We urge Atlantic City lawmakers to enact a real smokefree policy that will actually ensure a completely smokefree environment for casino workers and patrons.