CVS Caremark To Discontinue The Sale of Tobacco Products

Statement of Jeff Seyler, American Lung Association of the Northeast President & CEO

The American Lung Association of the Northeast applauds today’s announcement by CVS Caremark to discontinue the sale of tobacco products at all CVS / Pharmacy locations beginning October 1, 2014. We strongly agree that stopping the sale of tobacco products at a business that is meant to promote wellness is in keeping with their central mission and the right move for healthier lungs and healthier families across our country.
We are especially gratified to see Rhode Island-based CVS Caremark become the first national pharmacy chain to make the decision to promote tools to help smokers quit instead of selling tobacco.  We call on all drugstores and pharmacy chains to follow suit and promptly stop selling tobacco products.
Our recent State of Tobacco Control 2014 report and the latest US Surgeon General’s report on smoking and health make clear that we must do more than the status quo if we are going to reverse the toll that tobacco takes on our country’s health.  Collaborations with companies like CVS Caremark who choose public health over profit will undoubtedly help decrease smoking rates and help smokers quit their deadly addiction.
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About the American Lung Association of the Northeast
The American Lung Association of the Northeast is part of the American Lung Association, the oldest voluntary health organization in the U.S. Established in 1904 to combat tuberculosis; our mission today is to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. The focus is on air quality, asthma, tobacco control, and all lung disease. The American Lung Association in the Northeast serves CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI and VT. www.LungNE.org

American Lung Association Applauds EPA Decision to Protect Public from Soot

(WALTHAM, MA) – The American Lung Association of the Northeast applauds the Obama Administration’s decision to set a much stronger national air quality standard for particulate matter (soot), one of the nation’s most lethal air pollutants. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set limits on airborne microscopic particles, following the findings by independent scientists that this pollutant causes premature death at levels well below what is currently considered safe.

“These new standards are long overdue and could save hundreds of thousands of lives and prevent countless visits to the emergency room.” said Jeff Seyler, President & CEO of the American Lung Association of the Northeast. “Our State of the Air 2012 report, which measures how well current standards protect public health, shows far too many people live in areas where soot pollution threatens their health. The Clean Air Act was enacted to ensure that everyone breathes clean and healthy air and the new standards are a big step in the right direction.”

Particulate matter, also known as particle pollution or soot, is a mixture of liquid droplets and solid particles made of toxic chemicals, metals and smoke.  These particles are small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and even into the bloodstream, leading to tens of thousands of premature deaths, heart attacks and asthma attacks every year.  Particles come from wide-ranging sources, including coal-fired power plants, industrial boilers, diesel vehicles and woodstoves.  

The EPA tightened the limit, called the national ambient air quality standards, for the annual average level of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) to 12 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) from the outdated standard set in 1997 of 15 µg/m3.  EPA made no changes to the 24-hour fine particle standard or the coarse particle standard (PM 10) despite evidence that both standards need strengthening.

The American Lung Association’s free State of the Air® smartphone app tracks current air quality conditions and next-day air quality forecasts for particle pollution and other widespread air pollutants. This tool, available for Apple and Android, can be a valuable resource for not only people living with lung diseases like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but all who are concerned with the quality of air they are breathing. The app is available for download at www.lung.org/stateoftheairapp

New Poll Shows the Public Wants EPA to Set Stricter Soot Health Standards

Voters Support Setting Stronger Fine Particle Standards to Protect Public Health

Washington, D.C. — As the December 14, 2012, deadline approaches for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue updated health standards for fine particle pollution (soot), the American Lung Association is releasing polling results that examine public views on updating the standards and whether now is the right time to issue them.

Earlier this year EPA finally proposed updated clean air standards that will prevent thousands of premature deaths and take steps toward clearing hazy air. The EPA's proposal came in response to legal action filed on behalf of the American Lung Association and the National Parks Conservation Association by Earthjustice.

A new national survey of 942 registered voters conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research for the American Lung Association finds that American voters support a proposal to strengthen air pollution