There's no question that smoking is bad for you. So is using smokeless tobacco. Every day, more people learn that secondhand smoke is bad for everyone; not just the smoker. There are an estimated 438,000 deaths each year from smoking-related causes in the U.S. More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides and murders combined.

Secondhand Smoke

According to the 2006 U.S. Surgeon General's Report, there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Second-hand smoke, also known as Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS), is harmful for all people. It is the combination of 2 forms of smoke -- sidestream smoke from the burning cigarette; and mainstream smoke which is exhaled by the smoker. Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke absorb nicotine and other toxic chemicals just as smokers do. The greater the exposure to secondhand smoke, the greater the level of these harmful chemicals in your body. Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemical compounds. More than 60 of these are known or suspected to cause cancer.

Exposure to secondhand smoke has been associated with:

• Lung cancer- 3,400 deaths per year
• Heart disease- 46,000 deaths per year
• Stroke
• Nasal Sinus cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Miscarriage
• Stillbirth
• Low birth weight
• Asthma
• Ear infections
• SIDS
• Delayed cognitive and behavioral development in children

Between 290 and 520 Kansans die each year as a result of others' smoking. These are individuals affected by secondhand smoke. The number of adults projected to die from their own smoking in Kansas annually is 3,900. According to the latest statistics gathered by
Campaign For Tobacco Free Kids, Kansas experienced $927 million in health related costs due to smoking in 2004. Of that amount, $196 million is covered by the state Medicaid program. Approximately $582 per household in state and federal taxes go toward smoking-related government expenditures.

What about smoking and your pets?

To learn more about how secondhand smoke harms your pets, click here.

So you're ready to quit?

The majority of Kansas' 435,723 adult tobacco users want to quit, but have been unable to do so. Whether you want to quit now or get information for a loved one the Kansas Tobacco Quitline can help. The 24-hour toll-free Kansas Tobacco Quitline provides screening, counseling, support materials and referral for tobacco cessation assistance based on individual's readiness to quit. The program provides comprehensive follow-up counseling for Kansas citizens who are ready to quit or are contemplating a cessation attempt. For more information on quitting call the Kansas Tobacco Quitline at 1-866-KAN-STOP (1-866-526-7867).

So what can we do?

CHIP Tobacco Prevention Specialist Kellie Worley talks with a group of students while they watch a classmate’s photo projected onto the wall show the effects of smoking through the AprilAge computer program.

The city of Lawrence passed one of the most comprehensive clean indoor air ordinances in the state of Kansas which took effect July 1, 2004. In it, the ordinance (available by clicking here) does not allow smoking in any public enclosed places. Reducing exposure to secondhand smoke is the only safe way to improve the health of our residents.

The CHIP Special Committee on Tobacco Use Prevention is committed to educating the residents of Douglas County about the harmful effects of tobacco use and secondhand smoke. The Special Committee assists the CHIP staff creating an educational work-plan
in these areas for the Comprehensive Tobacco Grants received from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment as well implementing many of the ideas.

One of the CHIP Students Against Smoking asks a group of students a question during one of the anti-smoking presentations in the elementary schools.

Douglas County CHIP staff works in the community to promote the awareness of the effects of tobacco use, secondhand smoke and cessation options -- focusing on the younger residents to prevent the experimentation with, or initiation of tobacco use. Staff members do this by:

• attending local health fairs to distribute information on effects of tobacco use;
• presenting to service and/or civic groups;
• presenting to health care professionals and staff;
• presenting to classes in local schools from elementary to college level;
• conducting hands-on workshop for area youth called T4 (Teen Teams Talking
  Tobacco) to learn how to communicate the benefits of a no-smoking lifestyle to
  elementary-aged students;
• hosting sharing session for members of local government, school board members, legislators and community leaders on the activities of CHIP's Tobacco Use Prevention Program.
  

Find out more

To download the CHIP Tobacco Program presentation, click here.
(It may take awhile, it's a large file, over 30mb.)

For information on youth smoking rates in Douglas County from 2006, click here. To compare these results to the Kansas rates, click here.

To visit the CHIP myspace page, click here.

Informational Websites

CHIP Coalition Partners:
American Cancer Society: www.cancer.org
Clean Air Lawrence: www.cleanairlawrence.org/
Kansas TASK: www.kstask.org
Kansas Tobacco Use Prevention Program: http://www.kdheks.gov/tobacco/index.html
Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition: www.tobaccofreekansas.org

American Dental Association: www.ada.org
American Heart Association: www.americanheart.org
American Legacy Foundation: www.americanlegacy.org
American Lung Association: www.lungusa.org
Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids: www.tobaccofreekids.org
Center for Disease Control: www.cdc.gov/tobacco
Familydoctor.org: www.familydoctor.org
Kick Butts Day: www.kickbuttsday.org
Minnesota Faith Health Consortium: www.faithhealth.org
National Fire Protection Association: www.nfpa.org
Oral Cancer Foundation: www.oralcancerfoundation.org
Project Alert: www.projectalert.com
Smokefree Educational Services: www.smokefree.org
Smoke Free Movies: www.smokefreemovies.ucsf.edu
Smoke Screeners: www.fablevision.com/smokescreeners
Smoking Cessation: www.smoking-cessation.org
The Quit Smoking Stop: www.quitsmokingstop.com
The Truth Campaign: http://www.whudafxup.com
U.S. Surgeon General: www.surgeongeneral.gov
Youth Tobacco: www.youthtobacco.com