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Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Montana lawmakers, please don't bring back smoking indoors
Cigar in ashtray (Martin Vorel/Common Creative license) Some ideas are so bad that they're ridiculous. Like bringing back smoking rooms to Montana businesses. This is what Senate Bill 150, now being debated by the Montana Legislature, stands to do. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Wylie Galt of Martinsdale, would weaken Montana's 20-year-old Clean Indoor Air Act and allow so-called 'cigar rooms' to operate in our state. If the idea sounds familiar, that's because lawmakers have rejected it time after time in past legislative sessions. But those who put profits ahead of our health keep trying. SB 150 will subject employees and non-smoking patrons to secondhand cigar smoke, which can cause lung cancer and heart disease and stroke, and which contains all the same toxic chemicals found in cigarette smoke. Every worker deserves a safe place to work – free of toxic air pollutants. If passed, Galt's bill as proposed with amendments will irreparably weaken our Clean Indoor Air Act, which, as stated in Montana law, is intended to 'protect the public health and welfare by prohibiting smoking in public places and places of employment; to recognize the right of nonsmokers to breathe smoke-free air; and to recognize that the need to breathe smoke-free air has priority over the desire to smoke.' There is no way to contain cigar smoke within a room or building. Smoke filters through cracks in windows and walls, through air ducts and even through electrical outlets. And there is no safe level of secondhand smoke exposure. If bars or brewpubs have 'cigar rooms,' everyone inside the building, not just the smoking area itself, will be at risk, just as they were back in the bad old days when smoking was allowed in restaurants and on board airplanes. Say 'so long' to the family environment many establishments have cultivated during the past two decades. Many Montanans may see their favorite spots opting in to allow smoking. There is no ventilation system that can effectively protect against secondhand smoke. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, which sets engineering standards for ventilation systems, says that 'the only means of effectively eliminating health risks associated with indoor exposure is to ban smoking activity' from a building. Ventilation may reduce odor, but it won't protect people's health. In fact, people who go inside a cigar bar or room will be at risk even when smoking isn't taking place. Toxins from cigar smoke seep into carpet, furniture and walls and can be absorbed through the skin or by breathing in contaminated dust or by eating contaminated food. Employees charged with cleaning or otherwise maintaining a cigar bar or room will be at risk. Cigar bars or rooms can even pose a hazard for neighboring businesses. Not only are backers of SB 150 and its amendment undermining our health and the Clean Indoor Air Act, but they also are breaking a promise made to the people of Montana. When the Clean Indoor Air Act was adopted 20 years ago, it included a four-year phase-in period for Montana's tavern owners to make their bars and casinos smokefree. The phase-in was agreed upon by the tavern industry, legislators and some health groups. SB 150 breaks this promise, which has been held for 16 years. The bill also runs counter to public opinion in our state. A 2021 poll by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and the American Heart Association showed that 89% of Montana voters from across the political spectrum support the Clean Indoor Air Act, and 77% (3-in-4) of Montana voters oppose allowing cigar smoking in bars. SB 150 breaks a promise made to Montana citizens and hospitality workers, and it undermines our Clean Indoor Air Act, which prevents disease and saves lives. We've had 20 years of smokefree workplaces and 16 years of smokefree bars and casinos. Why bring back the days of smoke-filled air and coming home with your clothes, skin and hair stinking of smoke? We've come to expect clean, healthy air in our public spaces. Let's not go back to the days of smoking rooms.
Korea Herald
12-02-2025
- Automotive
- Korea Herald
SK Enmove's next-gen EV refrigerants achieve US certification
SK Enmove said Wednesday its next-generation refrigerants for electric vehicles have received certification from the US amid its push for global expansion in the all-important clean mobility market. The company's two types of refrigerants, key materials used in automobiles to absorb or release heat, were granted the R-Number certification by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, which recognized their high level of safety, efficiency and overall performance. The newly certified refrigerants are specifically developed for EVs, which require dual-purpose refrigerants for both heating and cooling, as they do not produce waste heat that warms up the car like internal combustion engine vehicles. Nonetheless, these products are also compatible with gas-powered cars. SK Enmove has so far obtained R-Number certification for three products, including one certified in June last year. This accomplishment is attributed to a strategic partnership forged with Hyundai Motor Group last year, aimed at developing next-generation automotive refrigerants that improve heating and cooling performance by over 30 percent. In an in-house evaluation, the company reported that these refrigerants increased the efficiency of heat pumps, which vaporize the materials to control the temperature of EVs, thereby improving energy consumption efficiency. SK Enmove stressed that its refrigerant products comply with stringent global environmental regulations -- including the US initiative to phase down the use of hydrofluorocarbons and the EU's proposed regulations on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances -- both of which are aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 'This achievement reflects over a decade of expertise in thermal management research and development, including advancements in EV fluids and immersion cooling thermal fluids,' stated SK Enmove CEO Kim Wone-kee. 'We will continue to enhance our thermal management capabilities to position SK Enmove as a global leader in global refrigerant markets and an 'energy saving company.''
