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Breath Takes: Fall/Winter 1998

Fall/Winter, 1998
Vol. 5, No. 1
ASTHMA & ANNUAL REPORT ISSUE

This is a portion of the American Lung Association of Los Angeles County's 1998 Breath Takes. ?If you would like to receive a complete copy, please call the American Lung Association at
or (800) LUNG-USA.

Previous Article

"Seinfeld," up for best comedy at the 1998 Emmy awards, won an award of a different sort on September 11 at the American Lung Association's Third Annual Phlemmy Awards when it received a Phlemmy for glamorizing tobacco use. It was the third year in a row that the series earned this dubious distinction. During its final season, "Seinfeld" included episodes in which the lead characters smoked cigars. The sitcom was chosen to receive the award by a panel of teenagers who watched 126 hours of primetime TV during April and May.

On the positive side, "ER" won the American Lung Association's President's Award for an episode in which the character of Dr. Green starts smoking to relieve stress, only to become addicted. In the story line, the doctor realizes he has to reverse his unhealthy decision and enters a smoking cessation program when he finds out how difficult it is to kick the habit.
Actress Ellen Crawford from the hit t.v. show "E.R." accepts the American Lung Association's President's Award for the show's realistic depiction of tobacco addiction.
"This is an important message to relay to the young people of America," said Richard Sonheim, a member of ALALAC's board of directors. "Proposition 10, the new cigarette tax, is another important step in making cigarettes more expensive and less attractive to minors."

Hollywood High School students presented the awards at a news conference in the school museum. During the awards ceremony, Anna Lulevlan, seventeen, asked the entertainment industry to avoid glamorizing tobacco use, to creatively seek other props, and to go one step further by showing the dangers of tobacco use.


(Updated 01/05/99)

When You Can't Breathe, Nothing Else Matters ?
The mission of the American Lung Association of Los Angeles County
is to prevent and eliminate lung disease
and to improve the quality of life and health of those with lung disease.
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For more information on lung health, programs, and special events,
call ? ? (or ? ; ? ; ?1-800-LUNG-USA), ? or send us email.
? 1999 American Lung Association of Los Angeles County

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