Thanks to Nebraska's smoke-free worksites law, most Nebraskans now are protected on-the-job from secondhand smoke.

But Nebraskans and others who travel out of state -- even just past the Nebraska border to the Missouri river to the boats -- for entertainment at the casinos, and the people who work at those casinos don't have the same protections most of us Nebraskans have on the job.

In fact, casino workers work in high-risk jobs. To help raise awareness of the plight of casino workers, Roswell Park and ANR Foundation have recently produced an eight-minute video to highlight casino workers' struggle for smokefree air. 

Casino workers are still dying from secondhand smoke and are too often viewed as an expendable compromise. This video helps to put a human face on this issue and helps of this public health tragedy. 

The project was made possible with funding support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 

"It's my lungs and my life."

That's what the man depicted in this video by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told his wife when she asked him to quit smoking.

She was "always getting on his case" to quit smoking, he said. She even threatened to quit kissing him.

And yet he smoked.

He learned, by losing his wife to secondhand smoke, that he wasn't only hurting himself. His wife became one of the 50,000 people to die from secondhand smoke each year.

"My wife was my life," he said. 

Each year, 280 Nebraskans die from exposure to secondhand smoke.

If your life has been impacted by smoking or other tobacco use, we invite you to share your story with us. Simply by sharing your story and becoming a member of Nebrakans ACT, you can help promote tobacco free kids in Nebraska and help Nebraskans quit smoking and quit tobacco use.

How old are the people who die from smoking?

In this video by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the story of one man brings home how young a woman can be when her life is taken by smoking.

Rick Stoddard explains how his wife, Marie, died at age 46 from lung cancer caused by smoking cigarettes. 

Stoddard's mission is to tell as many youth and adults as possible across America about the dangers of tobacco use.

The video also reminds us that it's not only those whose lives are taken by smoking who lose out: Stoddard's wife died, and he lives to grieve her loss.

Each year, 2,200 Nebraskans die from their own smoking, leaving behind loved ones and friends. Stoddard's message is a compelling reminder of why the Nebraska effort to promote tobacco free kids and support efforts to help Nebraskans quit smoking and quit tobacco use is so critical.

Nebraskans who have lost a loved one to tobacco use or who suffer because of smoking or tobacco use can share their story, become a member of Nebraskans ACT, and help promote tobacco free kids and help Nebraskans in their efforts to quit smoking and quit tobacco use.

“I personally believe that smokeless tobacco should be banned at the Major League level.”

That's according a letter the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids received Thursday -- opening day for the 2011 baseball season -- from Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Bud Selig.

Does this Mean Major League Baseball is Now Set to be Tobacco Free?
No. Commissioner Selig correctly points out that this is a negotiating issue between MLB and the players’ union. That means it's our turn to make our voices heard for kids. Do so today by asking your favorite team(s) to support the ban.

Why is it Important for Major League Baseball to be Tobacco Free?
Tobacco was banned in the minor leagues 18 years ago. The National Collegiate Athletic Association and the National Hockey League have already banned it.

In Thursday's New York Times, Bobby Valentine, ESPN commentator and former NY Mets coach, talked about why a ban on tobacco use in Major League Baseball 
is important.

"True, some players say tobacco use is nobody’s business—that tobacco is legal, that they are adults and chewing tobacco is a personal choice. But they are public figures and role models for kids, and need to recognize the added responsibility that the limelight brings. And they would still be free to use tobacco on their own time, just not while playing baseball."

Join Bobby Valentine, 15 top health officials from MLB cities, and 10 major public health groups by standing up for kids today. Send a message to your favorite team(s) calling on them to support a ban on all tobacco use on the field and in the dugout!

A new video from  truth®, the nation’s largest smoking prevention campaign for youth presents the shocking truth of tobacco use: Six real people suffering from tobacco-related disabilities that visibly show the realities of the harms of tobacco use addiction.

According to Tobacco Free Nebraska's "Data and Trends on Tobacco Use in Nebraska," a larger proportion of Nebraskans died from tobacco-related cancer (39.2 percent) than from tobacco-related cardiovascular disease (24.7 percent) and respiratory diseases (36.1 percent). These deaths bring devastation to Nebraskans and their families. 

At the same time, many Nebraskans live with the health impact of tobacco use. 

In fact, about 8.6 million people in the United States are living with serious illnesses attributed to smoking. For many, it means suffering on a daily basis, and drastic changes from their pre-disease lifestyles.

“Unsweetened truth” highlights the devastation of living with tobacco-related health problems. In the spot, six real people suffering from tobacco-related disabilities are featured on a parade float. As the float travels along, spectators can see the obvious physical disabilities each person is living with. They can also hear the half-dozen participants “singing” a tune about the many different flavors used to enhance tobacco products. 

The spot highlights a new fact: Tobacco companies can’t sell candy-flavored cigarettes, but they still sell other tobacco products in over 45 candy flavors.Living with tobacco-related diseases can mean living with the effects of cancers of the mouth, throat and neck; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; emphysema; and loss of voice. Anyone who uses tobacco has the potential to develop such diseases.

Watch the video here. 

For kids, the home is the place where they are most exposed to secondhand smoke. The home is also a major location of secondhand smoke exposure for adults.

Children who live in homes where smoking is allowed have higher levels of exposure to secondhand smoke than children who live in homes where smoking is not allowed. The greater the number of cigarettes smoked in the home, the greater children’s exposure to secondhand smoke.

According to the office of the US Surgeon General, although secondhand smoke exposure among children has declined over the past 15 years, children remain more heavily exposed to secondhand smoke than adults. The number of homes that report that smoking isn't allowed in the home has increased from 71.1 percent in 2000 to 85 percent in 2009, according to Tobacco Free Nebraska.

Almost 60 percent of U.S. children aged 3-11 years—or almost 22 million children—are exposed to secondhand smoke, according to the office of the US Surgeon General.

This video produced by Tobacco Free Nebraska highlights the problem of children being exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes.

Secondhand smoke hurts everyone who breathes. When those who breathe are kids, and when where they're breathing is the family car, it's cause for special concern.

A 2006 study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found “alarming” levels of secondhand smoke were generated in just five minutes in vehicles under different driving, ventilation, and smoking conditions. The researchers concluded that “smoking in cars under typical driver and traffic conditions provides potentially unsafe secondhand smoke exposure.” 
In fact, the average levels of pollution inhaled from secondhand smoke in the vehicles was higher than levels that were found in similar studies of smoking in bars in several towns in eastern Massachusetts. The levels of particulate matter found in the vehicles were greater than levels that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has described as “unhealthy for sensitive groups” such as children and the elderly. 

The pollution levels detected “highlight the potentially serious threat to children’s health presented by secondhand smoke in private cars under normal driving conditions,” according to the report. 

The researchers also found a “significant increase” in levels of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide “is a poisonous gas, which may cause coma and death in large amounts, but among infants is known to induce lethargy and loss of alertness even in small quantities,” according to the report. 

Tobacco Free Nebraska has highlighted the problem of secondhand smoke in cars in this video.