Let Kids Play Tobacco Free.

• Secondhand smoke exposure poses health risks for children and adults. The 2010 U.S. Surgeon General's report¹ concluded there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.
• Cigarette litter is harmful. Filters are made with Cellulose acetate, a non-bio degradable product.² Cigarette butt litter can also pose a hazard to animals and marine life when they mistake filters for food³.
• Young smokeless tobacco users are more likely to become cigarette smokers. Evidence shows that adolescent boys who use smokeless tobacco products have a higher risk of becoming cigarette smokers within four years⁴.
• Adult habits affect youth. Studies have found that parental actions, attitudes, and opinions about smoking have a great deal of influence on whether or not kids smoke^5-6.

• Provided examples of resolutions, ordinances, enforcement plans, and other documents that support tobacco free parks and playgrounds-Read this proclamation-We deserve to play in a clean environment! (PDF 58.5 KB) | Text equivalent (PDF 6.13 KB)
• Educated park staff and the public- See our tobacco free parks fact sheet! (PDF 1.45 MB) | Text equivalent (PDF 60.42 KB)
• Engaged our local community partners- Try putting up signs like this one! (PDF 1.55 MB) | Text equivalent (PDF 2.28 KB)

¹U.S. Surgeon General (2010). How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease.
²Hon NS.(1977). Photodegradation of Cellulose Acetate Fibers. J. Polym. Sci. A-Polym. Chem. 15:725-744.
³Novotny, T.E., Lum, K., Smith, E., Wang, V., & Barnes, R. (2009). Cigarettes Butts and the Case for an Environmental Policy on Hazardous Cigarette Waste. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2009 May; 6(5): 1691-1705.
⁴Tomar, S. (2003). Is use of smokeless tobacco a risk factor for cigarette smoking? The U.S. experience. Nicotine & Tobacco Research 5(4):561-569.
⁵Newman, I., et al. (1989). The influence of parental attitude and behavior on early adolescent cigarette smoking. Journal of School Health 59(4):150-2.
⁶Distefan, J., et al. (1998). Parental influences predict adolescent smoking in the United States, 1989-1993. Journal of Adolescent Health 22:466-74.