From the transcript of the Connecticut House of Representatives - June 5, 2007:
"REP. GENGA: (10th)
Thank you. For the record, I'd like to speak
on the merits of this LCO amendment. The purpose of this bill is to provide
protection for young children, under the age of seven or under 60 pounds, from
secondhand smoke. The purpose of doing this is to provide education to the
public.
Over the last 20 years, scientifically and
medically, we've learned much more than we've ever known about smoking and
secondhand smoke. The United States Center for Disease Control has states that
one cigarette, one cigarette, emits 11 toxic poisons and 250 carcinogens which
are cancer causing.
The American Lung Association has stated that
small children, that we refer to here, have more infections and diseases from
secondhand smoke, pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma attacks. And I tell you that
150,000 to 300,000 young babies under the age of 18 months have infections from
secondhand smoke.
Young children in a closed vehicle should not
be breathing this kind of smoke. It's the most confined area. Young children,
under the age of eight, do not have their lungs fully developed. Their immune
system is less developed and more vulnerable to secondhand smoke.
The secondhand smoke to a young child is very
disproportionate compared to an adult because of their body mass.
In a study that was completed last year by
Harvard University School of Public Health, the study showed that with the
windows closed in a vehicle, a small child will develop or be as susceptible to
multiple times of the dangerous levels, the EPA dangerous levels, of secondhand
smoke.
With the windows open, a young child is still
as susceptible as anybody in a bar or restaurant, which we've already
developed, or we've already provided legislation to ban smoking.
So the whole idea behind this is to protect
those young children who don't have the opportunity. They do not have the same
thing as an adult, the ability to remove themselves from a situation.
With all of that said, I do not want to
jeopardize the underlying bill and I understand that would happen, even though
there's support here. So I want to thank all my colleagues for their support
and encouragement on this bill and withdraw this amendment. Thank you, Madam
Speaker.
DEPUTY SPEAKER FRITZ: