BREATHE LA Supports Smoking Ban in LA Parks

BREATHE California of Los Angeles County (BREATHE LA) supports Coalition for Smoke-Free Los Angeles Parks' initiative to ban smoking in all LA County parks.

In 2002, California passed a law requiring a 25-feet smoke-free zone around playgrounds and sandbox areas in order to protect kids from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke. Unfortunately, these zones are not clearly defined and can cause confusion regarding the boundaries of the state law as evidenced by cigarette butts and other tobacco refuse found in these areas.

The dangers of secondhand smoke are well documented, especially for children and adults with asthma or other chronic illnesses, pregnant women, and the elderly. Cigarettes contain 4,000 chemicals, of which 200 are known to cause cancer. The California Air Resources Board has put secondhand smoke in the same category as the most toxic automotive and industrial air pollutants by categorizing it as a toxic air contaminant for which there is no safe level of exposure. The U.S. Surgeon General has also stated that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

BREATHE LA supports efforts to make Los Angeles County parks safer, cleaner, and more enjoyable for everyone. Twenty cities in LA County have already adopted smoke-free parks policies as have a number of counties (Contra Costa, Marin, San Diego, San Francisco , San Mateo.) We support a full smoking ban in County parks in an effort to help protect all park patrons from secondhand smoke, mitigate tobacco litter, decrease the risk of fire by cigarettes, and set a healthy, smoke-free example for our children.

BREATHE LA was established in 1903 and has over a century of accomplishments, including a long affiliation with the American Lung Association (ALA) that ended in 2006. Today we are part of BREATHE California, a statewide organization with affiliates in Central Coast, Sacramento-Emigrant Trails, and San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara-San Benito Counties that work to advance primary and secondary lung disease prevention interventions and advocate for policies that best serve and involve local communities. BREATHE LA's public information, advocacy, and services address lung disease (asthma, emphysema, tuberculosis) environmental education, tobacco, and access to services.