Press Releases
Year
Public Health Study Finds Dangerous Pollution Levels in Restaurants and Bars That Permit Smoking
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 9, 2005
Contact
Nikki Hillier, Health Educator Community Health Surveillance, Planning and Education
217-531-2914
Diana Yates, Communications Coordinator
217-531-4275
Public Health Study Finds Dangerous Pollution Levels in Restaurants and Bars That Permit Smoking
Two or More Smokers Can Produce Levels of Particulate Matter in the Air That Are Significantly Higher Than Federal Safety Standards
Restaurant and bar workers and patrons of local establishments that permit cigarette smoking may be exposed to dangerously high levels of particulate matter from ambient tobacco smoke, according to data released today by the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District.
Public Health staff measured the concentration of particles the air smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5) in thirteen local taverns, bar and grills, and bars. Particles of this size are released in the air in significant amounts from burning cigarettes and are easily inhaled deeply into the lungs.
In the six local smoking-permitted establishments sampled where more than 1 person was smoking, particulate matter averaged 310 micrograms per cubic meter of air when smoking was present. The maximum number of smokers recorded during any observations was eight.
The EPA has set limits of 15 micrograms per cubic meter as the maximum average annual level of PM2.5 exposure and 65 micrograms per cubic meter as the maximum safe level of exposure over a 24 hour period [US Environmental Protection Agency. National ambient air quality standards for particulate matter; final rule. Federal Register 1997; 62(138):38651-38701].
Not surprisingly, smaller establishments with a higher density of smokers yield extremely high levels of particulate matter exposure. In such establishments, Public Health staff recorded PM2.5 rates over 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter, far in excess of EPA recommended safe maximums.
In addition to the above findings, Public Health notes that air quality in smoking permitted establishments remains poor even when few if any smokers are present. Particulate matter levels averaged 128 (more than twice the standard) for such establishments even when only one or no smokers were smoking.
Sitting outdoors may bring exposure down to safe levels (average for outdoor areas was 51), but PM2.5 rates over 200 were recorded in outdoor areas where smokers were present. Consistently safe levels of particulate matter well below the EPA maximums are only found in smoke-free public places according to the results of the study.
“These data show that the quality of the air we breathe in public places is seriously compromised,” said Kerisa Fish, a health educator at the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District. “Workers in any smoking-permitted establishment should be very concerned about the consequences for their health.”
“This also reinforces the need for a comprehensive approach to a smoke-free Champaign and Urbana by requiring public places and workplaces to be smoke-free,” she said.
Other cities, such as Bloomington, Indiana have experienced up to an 84% reduction in particulate matter pollution as a result of going smoke-free.
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Public Health Hosts Conference on Methamphetamines
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 9, 2005
Contact
Julie Pryde, Director Division of HIV/STD/TB Prevention & Management
217-239-7827
Diana Yates, Communications Coordinator
217-531-4275
Public Health Hosts Conference on Methamphetamines
“Harm Reduction in the Heartland” to Offer Guidance on Interventions to Reduce the Public Health Cost of Crystal Meth Use
Urbana, IL – Public Health will host a conference on methamphetamine use, with a special emphasis on interventions that can reduce the health risks associated with this drug.
“Harm Reduction in the Heartland,” an all-day conference to be held at the Urbana Civic Center on September 16, will outline the physical and psychological effects of crystal methamphetamine use; its prevalence in the gay community; methods to reduce the risk of HIV infection in meth users; and the substance abuse treatment needs of methamphetamine abusers.
According to the National Drug Intelligence Center, crystal methamphetamine use can cause rapid heart rate, increased blood pressure and damage to the small blood vessels in the brain which can lead to stroke. Chronic use of the drug can result in inflammation of the heart lining. Overdoses can cause hyperthermia (elevated body temperature), convulsions and death.
Those who use crystal methamphetamine may have episodes of violent behavior, paranoia, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia. The drug can produce psychotic symptoms that persist for months or years after an individual has stopped using the drug.
Crystal methamphetamine users who inject the drug expose themselves to additional risks, including contracting HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), hepatitis B and C, and other blood-borne viruses. Chronic injectors also risk scarred or collapsed veins, infections of the heart lining and valves, abscesses, pneumonia, tuberculosis and liver or kidney disease.
For more information, please call Candi Crause at 217-239-7827. Or visit the Public Health website at www.cuphd.org.
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Update Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort
MEMORANDUM
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TO: |
Local Health Departments and Regional Offices of the Illinois Department of Public Health, Hospital Infection Control Practitioners, Hospital Emergency Departments, Hospital Administrators, Infectious Disease Specialists and Illinois Chapters of the American Red Cross |
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FROM: |
Kathleen Kelly-Shannon, Assistant Chief Communicable Disease Control Section Karen McMahon, Chief Immunization Section |
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DATE: |
September 8, 2005 |
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SUBJECT: |
Update Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort |
This is to inform you the Illinois Department of Public Health’s (IDPH) Division of Communications has updated the Department’s web-site (www.idph.state.il.us/hurricane/index.htm) to contain guidance on the diverse topics involved with response to Hurricane Katrina. The website will be updated to reflect any changes or additional recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the IDPH. This information will be of special importance since many Illinois communities are providing shelter for persons displaced by the hurricane.
Historically, widespread outbreaks of infectious disease following hurricanes in the United States are not common but surveillance for clusters of infectious disease should be encouraged especially among persons living in community shelters.
Surveillance for infectious diseases or conditions should include the following:
- Gastrointestinal Illness
- Influenza-Like Illness
- Chronic Cough
- Wound Infection
- Sore Throat
- Febrile Illness
Health Care Providers are asked to rapidly report to their local health department any infections required to be reported to the Department in addition to any unusual cluster of illnesses identified among persons displaced from their homes especially those living in community shelters.
We thank you for your continued support of this community effort. Questions regarding the hurricane Katrina relief effort may be directed to your local health department, your regional office of the Illinois Department of Public Health or this office at (217) 782-2016.