Tobacco Free Outdoors

Second hand smoke is more than a nuisance – The U.S. Surgeon General stated in the report, The Health Consequences o Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke (2006) that:

• Secondhand smoke exposure causes disease and premature death in children and adults who do not smoke.
• Exposure of adults to secondhand smoke has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and causes coronary heart disease and lung cancer
• The scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke
  
  

The Institute of Medicine(2009) – In a landmark report, Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Cardiovascular Effects:  Making Sense of the Evidence, the Institute of Medicine concludes smoke-free laws reduce the number of heart attacks and save lives.  The report also confirms that there is conclusive scientific evidence that secondhand smoke causes heart disease, including heart attacks.

“The committee concludes that it is biologically plausible for a relatively brief exposure to secondhand smoke to precipitate an acute coronary event.”  According to the report, experimental studies have found that secondhand smoke exposure causes adverse changes in the cardiovascular system that increases the risk of a heart attack.

• Secondhand smoke (SHS) is harmful
• Children exposed to SHS are at an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome, acute respiratory infections, ear problems, and more severe asthma. 
  
  
• Cigarette litter is dangerous for children and bad for the environment
• 1.7 billion pounds of cigarette litter accumulate in the environment every year
• Cigarette butts can ooze out chemicals such as cadmium, lead, and arsenic into water within an hour of contact.
• Cigarette butts can take up to 25 years to biodegrade
  
  
• Children model adult behavior
• Smoking at parks and playgrounds gives children the impression that it is a safe and healthy behavior.

What do people in my community think about smoke-free playgrounds?

• 83% of Fulton county residents  are in favor of tobacco-free playgrounds
• 84% of Montgomery County residents are in favor of tobacco-free playgrounds
• 74.8% of Hamilton County residents are in favor of tobacco-free playgrounds