As a physician, I have seen first-hand lives torn apart by cancer. I know all too well the staggering statistics regarding secondhand smoke and its link to cancer and other deadly illnesses. The facts are clear that air free of secondhand smoke saves lives.

The American Cancer Society applauds bill sponsors Sen. John J. Cullerton, 6th District, and Rep. Karen A. Yarborough, 7th District, and other members of the Illinois General Assembly, for passing Senate Bill 2400. The bill, which allows all counties to pass smoke-free laws in unincorporated areas, now moves to the governor's desk.

This is a great victory for cancer patients, their family members and those who hopefully will never know this disease thanks to smoke-free initiatives such as this. We urge the governor to sign this measure into law as quickly as possible. There is no time to waste.

Nationally, an estimated 65,000 people die each year due to the toxic effects of secondhand smoke. In Illinois, 2,900 adults and children from throughout the state - eight people each day - die due to the hazards of secondhand smoke. These are not nameless faces; these are our family members, our friends and our co-workers.

The scientific evidence is clear on the causal relationship between exposure to secondhand smoke and the link to disease and death. Government has always acted to protect the health and well-being of workers and customers by implementing food handling laws, building codes and zoning laws. Not everyone has a choice about where they work. The sooner we eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke, the sooner thousands of needless deaths become a thing of the past.

Secondhand smoke kills. It doesn't have to.

Ermilo Barrera, MD,

President

American Cancer Society

Illinois Division