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Like a college sophomore whose grades slip a bit after a little less attention to his studies, Tennessee has scored a C, a D and two F’s in the American Lung Association’s State of Tobacco Control 2008 reported released nationwide on January 13th, 2009. Despite the passage in 2007 of the Nonsmokers’ Protection Act, the state earned only a C in the category of smokefree air because the law exempts bars and restaurants open only to those over 21. Tennessee actually fared better than many other states in the region on this year’s report. Kentucky was among seven states that scored all F’s on this year’s report. The other six are Alabama, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The full State of Tobacco Control 2008 report can be viewed at: http://www.stateoftobaccocontrol.org
For nearly a century, our mission has been preventing and curing lung disease, and promoting lung health through research, education, and advocacy.
In addition to defending your right to breathe, our goals are fourfold:
- No search for a cure should go unfunded.
- No child or adult should die of asthma.
- No child or adult should be addicted to tobacco products.
- No community should be exposed to unhealthy air
- Asthma: Providing patient, family, public, and professional education programs and information to help asthma sufferers manage their disease and live normal lives.
- Air Quality: Working to improve the air we breathe, both indoors and outdoors, to improve lung health through public awareness and advocacy.
- Tobacco Control: Fighting to reduce the disease and death caused by tobacco use through prevention and cessation programs, and legislative advocacy.
- Funding of Lung Disease Research: Funding research to discover improved prevention and treatment techniques and ultimately, the cure for lung disease.
The American Lung Association is the oldest national health agency in the U.S. We began in 1904 as The National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis.
At its height, tuberculosis, or TB, killed over 80,000 Americans annually. By the late 1960's, our work and that of health professionals brought TB largely under control through education and newly available drugs. Since then, we have evolved and broadened our focus to include almost all forms of lung disease. In 1973, we officially became the American Lung Association.
The American Lung Association of Tennessee was formed in 1910, and we continue to be a proud constituent of the nationwide organization.
The American Lung Association of Tennessee is THE organization dedicated to every breath you take.
Lung disease has become the third leading cause of death for Americans and the leading cause of death for infants…and unfortunately it is continuing to grow faster than any other leading killer. Over 30 million Americans have chronic lung disease and almost 335,000 die from lung disease each year!
These lung diseases can be caused or exacerbated by air pollution, both indoors and outside. For example, ozone pollution aggravates asthma, and tobacco smoke pollutes our work and home environments.
Research, education, and advocacy are our most effective weapons in fighting a disease that reaches every community and affects every Tennessean. See Lung Disease Quick Facts for more statistics. Statistics like these commit us to our mission because, "When You Can't Breathe, Nothing Else Matters®."
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American Lung of Tennessee
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