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Twenty seven of the 50 states in the U. S. have communities with outdoor tobacco smoke free ordinances at parks, zoos, youth sports, trails, and also beaches. Did you know that cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world? Against popular belief, butts DO NOT decompose naturally in nature. It takes decades for one butt to decompose. They are no longer made by cotton, as in the past. In fact, butts are made from cellulose acetate, which is a plastic. They are highly toxic and dangerous to children and animals when they eat them.
Tooele County Health District (TCHD) is one of the tenhealth districts in Utah who are working to make parks in our county smoke free. TCHD's survey results indicate many Tooele Residents would support smoke free parks. Health educators, local leaders, parents, and community members have developed a Plan of Action and Direction for Tooele County.
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It's no secret smoking is dangerous. Secondhand smoke, (which is also known as environmental tobacco smoke) is a group A Carcinogen, which means it causes cancer. But not just cancer! It leads to many other serious illnesses including asthma, respiratory infections, and cardiovascular disease. It comes off the end of a lit tobacco product including cigarettes, pipes, and cigars. It is also exhaled from the lungs of smokers and hangs around in the air for hours and hours. It is inhaled involuntarily, against their will, by those who don't smoke. Secondhand smoke in outdoor public places can reach levels as high as those found in indoor facilities where smoking is permitted.
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 Infants and young children are highly susceptible to secondhand smoke, because their lungs have not fully developed and can be easily damaged by toxins. Exposure to secondhand smoke is also associated with an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome, (SIDS).
There are over 4,000 chemicals in Secondhand Smoke, and more than 50 of them cause cancer. It is a complex mixture which cannot be changed by nature. There is no safe level of exposure of these dangerous chemicals for those whom it comes in contact with. |
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According to the Center for Disease Control, (CDC):
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 There will be an estimated 3,000 lung cancer deaths and more than 35,000 heart disease deaths in 2005-2006 as a result of Secondhand Smoke in the United States alone.
Children, including those under 18 months of age, receive a hard blow from this dangerous smoke. There will be an estimated 8,000 - 26,000 new asthma cases in children. In addition, 150,000 - 300,000 new cases of bronchitis and pneumonia will be a result of Secondhand Smoke.
In Utah, 11.7% of children are exposed to Secondhand smoke. It is against their will, and they are helpless to prevent it.
The American Association of Poison Control Centers received 7,866 reports of nicotine ingestion among children last year.
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