Secondhand Smoke Citizens Advisory Board
by Dottie Harden…….
Did you know? Secondhand Smoke kills 1,200 people a day in the U.S.
The more I work on secondhand smoke issues the more amazed that secondhand smoke is connected to the entire community, our health, children, pets, the air we breathe, our streets, trees, plants, beaches and our ocean.
It is not just a person smoking a cigarette! It is what he/she does with that cigarette and what is going on around him or her when they are smoking. Is a child inhaling that harmful smoke? Is the smoker going to throw the butt down which ends up in our beautiful water ways, streets and cost tax payers to clean up? Is a child or a pet going to put it in their mouth? Is that child going to have asthma attack? Is that pet going to die? Who pays the Doctor fees or Vet fees? Not the smoker!
Did you know that cigarette butts estimated 30% of the total litter our US shorelines, waterways and on land. www.ncbi.gov
Did you know that 80% do not smoke in Florida and 20% do? So all the damage is being done by only 20%?
I know it is hard to quit! I have friends that have tried many times to stop smoking and tell me it is so hard because it is an addiction; they also know it is bad for their health and bad for anyone near them.
So how do we solve this problem?
The first thing would be to ask a smoker to please not smoke around a nonsmoker, to please not throw the cigarette butt away, on the ground, sidewalk, waterway, or put it in a potted flower pot so it can catch on fire. (That happened last week on a dock, someone put a cigarette butt in a flower pot and the pot was smoldering the potted plant all most went to flames. With the strong wind that day a boat could have caught on fire! All because of a cigarette butt.)
Secondhand Smoke Citizens Advisory Board is “NOT” asking anyone to stop smoking! What we are asking that they smoke away from nonsmokers and protect them so the nonsmoker will not get sick and to put the butts in a safe place! Better yet take it home and put it in your trash can.
Never smoke in a car with passengers. Secondhand smoke affects everyone.
Protect yourself from secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke is a serious health risk. It can cause disease and premature death. Look for more information visit www.cdc.gov
We are a new group that is trying to get the word out about secondhand smoke. If you would like to help, we are not asking for any money, please email me at: [email protected] Thank you.
Dottie Harden: Chair Person
Secondhand Smoke Citizens Advisory Board