SPRINGFIELD, Ill. | Illinois officials are saying, "Thanks from the bottom of our lungs" as the state celebrates the fifth anniversary of the smoking ban in most public places.
The Department of Public Health is launching the "Thanks" campaign to encourage continued support for the Smoke-Free Illinois Act. It took effect Jan. 1, 2008.
Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck is director of public health. He says breathing secondhand smoke causes lung cancer and heart disease in adults who don't smoke. Children exposed to smoky air risk serious respiratory problems such as asthma attacks and infections.
Officials say the number of people who reported smoking in Illinois dropped from 21 percent in 2008 to 17 percent two years later. Calls to the Illinois Tobacco Quit Line increased 45 percent from 2008 to 2012.
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