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Hard-fought efforts to enact a smoke-free workplace law and increase cigarette taxes have earned Tennessee improved grades in the American Lung Association’s State of Tobacco Control 2007 report. The most significant progress was made in Smoke-free Air, which jumped from an “F” the previous year to a “B” in this year’s report. “Diligent work over many years is paying off, as we see Tennessee receiving higher grades in a report that sets tough standards,” said Margaret Smith, Director of Lung Health Programs for the American Lung Association of TN. “We are extremely gratified that the Tennessee General Assembly enacted the Non-Smoker Protection Act of 2007, which protects many Tennesseans from the devastating health hazards of exposure to secondhand smoke in the workplace.” The American Lung Association State of Tobacco Control 2007 report card grades each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, on four key tobacco control policies: smoke-free air laws, cigarette tax, tobacco prevention and control spending, and youth access laws. The full State of Tobacco Control 2007 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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