ACSH staffers would like to give two thumbs down to the Cleveland City Council for recently passing some “extraordinary” public health bills. The first one will ban the use of trans fat in prepared foods in Cleveland restaurants, while the second is an outdoor smoking ban. Residents will no longer be able to light up in city-owned public parks, recreation areas, swimming pools, picnic shelters, public squares and some malls.
“Now people in Cleveland can rest assured that their health will dramatically improve with the passing of these bills — they’ll be less exposed to artery-clogging trans fats and disease-inducing secondhand smoke on city parks and beaches,” ribs ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. “In all seriousness, this is a clear example of the City Council not having enough real problems to worry about.”
“Neither one of these measures will have any effect on health risk. There will be no benefit in terms of heart disease, and while aesthetically annoying, outdoor secondhand smoke is not a health issue,” adds ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross.
