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Smoking In Vehicles With Kids Law Moves Forward |
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Friday, 30 March 2007 |
 Adults who smoke in a vehicle carrying children could
be fined $100 under a bill that cleared its first committee Wednesday. A 2006
report by the Harvard School of Public Health said particulate matter in a
smoker's car can be as much as 10 times higher than in a smoker's home. That
can sharply increase the risk of heart disease, lung cancer and other ailments,
Sen. Jenny Oropeza, D-Long Beach, told the Senate Health Committee. Oropeza’s bill would make it illegal
to smoke a cigar, pipe or cigarette in vehicles carrying a minor, regardless of
whether the car is parked or moving. It also creates a public health
education program focused on the dangers of second-hand smoke. According to Fox news the committee sent her
bill to the Senate Appropriations Committee on a 6-3 vote. Smoking
in a car with the windows down isn't enough because the U.S. surgeon general
has said there is no safe level for second-hand smoke, American Cancer Society
lobbyist Alecia Sanchez testified. "Children are completely captive. There's no refuge for them"
in a vehicle, she said.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 13 April 2007 )
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