Public Health Organizations Call on Churchill Downs to Open Turfway Park Smoke-free
August 16th, 2022
To the Leadership of Churchill Downs Incorporated,
News
Local Health Systems Call on Churchill Downs to Open Turfway Park Smoke-free
August 2022
Churchill Downs
700 Central Ave.
Louisville, KY 40208
To the Leadership of Churchill Downs,
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the U.S. with over 480,000 deaths that occur each year as a result of cigarette smoking.i Cigarette smoking is by far the most important risk factor for lung cancer, with approximately 80% of lung cancer deaths in the US still caused by smoking.ii Unfortunately, the effects of tobacco do not just stop with the person who is smoking; they continue to harm those exposed to secondhand smoke as well. In fact, more than 41,000 deaths occur within the U.S. each year as a result of secondhand smoke.iii
The second leading cause of death in our state is cancer. The 2021 State of Lung Cancer report indicates that Kentucky has the highest lung cancer incidence rate in the nation.iv The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2022, Kentucky will have 4,990 new cases and 2,730 deaths due to lung cancer and in 2017 alone, Kentucky had 6,266 smoking-related cancer cases and 3,495 smoking-related cancer deaths.v Lung cancer is among leading causes of cancer death for both men and women, however, smoking causes more than just lung cancer.vi Smoking also increases the risk for cancers of the mouth, larynx, pharynx, esophagus, kidney, cervix, live, bladder, pancreas, stomach, colon/rectum. Cigarettes, cigars, and pipes can all cause cancer. Ultimately, there is no safe form of tobacco smoke.vii
Smoke-free laws for all workplaces and public areas protect people who do not smoke. These laws and policies are the only way to fully protect people who do not smoke from secondhand smoke exposure.viii On behalf of all the employees, patrons, and their families, we strongly urge you to prioritize opening Turfway Park in Florence, KY as a 100% smoke-free indoor property.
Since the U.S. Surgeon General’s 1964 report on smoking and health, we have known that smoking causes lung cancer.ix However, the dangers of secondhand smoke are often overlooked. Secondhand smoke is a known human carcinogen and contains 7,000 chemicals, hundreds of which are toxic, and nearly 70 that are directly linked to cancer.x Breathing in the smoke of others can increase the risk of developing lung cancer, with 7,330 lung cancer deaths attributed to secondhand smoke each year.xi Since that initial report, 2.5 million adults who were nonsmokers have died because they breathed secondhand smoke.xii
Turfway park employees and customers deserve the right to breathe clean air without the concern of their health. There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke are at increased risk of lung cancer, other respiratory diseases, and heart disease.xiii
The secondhand smoke that would fill the rooms of Turfway Park and the lungs of the people within them would reach further than the casino itself. When exposed to the toxins of cigarette smoke, they can remain on articles of clothing and other materials that employees and patrons take home with them known as thirdhand smoke. While thirdhand smoke may seem simply like an offensive smell, it is also an indication of the presence of toxins including carcinogens and heavy metals, like arsenic, lead, and cyanide.xiv When you allow smoking in a business like Turfway, you allow hundreds of if not thousands of people to be exposed to these harmful toxins.
We ask you to open as a 100% smoke-free indoor property to protect the lives, health, and lungs of the employees, patrons, and their families so that they do not become a part of these statistics. As a leader in our state, make Turfway a healthy place to live, work, and play.
Sincerely,
i Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2 June 2021). Fast Facts. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/index....
ii Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (18 October 2021). What Are the Risk Factors for Lung Cancer? https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/lung/basic_info/risk_factors.htm
iii Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2 June 2021). Fast Facts. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/index....
iv American Lung Association. (2021). State of Lung Cancer. https://www.lung.org/research/state-of-lung-cancer/states/kentucky
v American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. (2019). State-Specific Smoking-Related Cancer
Cases and Deaths, 2017.
vi American Cancer Society Cancer Statistics Center. (2022). Kentucky. https://cancerstatisticscenter.cancer.org/#!/state/Kentucky
vii American Cancer Society (28 October 2020). Health Risks of Smoking Tobacco. https://www.cancer.org/healthy/stay-away-from-tobacco/health-risks-of-to...
viii Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (3 March 2021). Secondhand Smoke. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/secondhand_smoke/index.htm
ix Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (19 October 2021). History of the Surgeon General’s Reports on Smoking and Health. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/history/index.htm
x Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (27 February 2020). Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke....
xi American Lung Association. (13 July 2020). Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke. https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/smoking-facts/health-effects/secondhan...
xii Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (27 February 2020). Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke...
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xiii American Cancer Society. (2022). Cancer Facts and Figures. https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/cancer-facts-and-...
xiv American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation. (2022). Thirdhand Smoke. https://no-smoke.org/smokefree-threats/thirdhand-smoke