CDC sent the letter to Vita Skilling, secretary of the FSM Department of Health & Social Services who later forward it to the Department of Health Services in the state of Yap.
In his congratulatory message, Tim A. McAfee, M.D., director, CDC Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, stated that “Yap’s decision to make all enclosed public spaces including worksites, restaurants and bars smoke-free makes Yap a leader among the Federated States of Micronesia in protecting its citizens from the dangers of exposure to secondhand smoke. Yap joins 25 of the United States and the District of Columbia that have enacted comprehensive smoke-free laws since December 31, 2000.”
In the most recent Global Youth Tobacco Survey, more than 70 percent of Micronesia’s youth reported having been exposed to secondhand smoke in public places.
The 2010 surgeon general’s report concluded that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke and that any exposure can lead to immediate damage to the body’s organs and DNA.
Eliminating smoking from all indoor areas is the only way to fully protect people from secondhand smoke exposure.
Separating smokers from nonsmokers, cleaning the air and ventilating buildings are not effective ways to protect the public from secondhand smoke exposure.
The Institute of Medicine recently concluded that secondhand smoke exposure could trigger a heart attack and communities that enact and enforce strong comprehensive smoke-free policies realize a reduction in hospitalizations for heart attacks.
Two recent scientific studies that reviewed this topic estimated, on average, heart attack hospitalizations drop 8 percent to 17 percent the first year after implementation of a smoke-free law.
