Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Arts League learns dangers of smoking

Tina Blevins spoke to the Artesian Arts League about the dangers of secondhand smoke.

Blevins, Nevada County Tobacco Prevention Coordinator, told those gathered, at the regular meeting Tuesday, March 14, secondhand smoke contains nearly 5,000 chemical compounds, with at least 50 of these being carcinogenic.

Some of the chemicals found in tobacco smoke, she said, are: ammonia, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde (used to embalm bodies), cyanide (a fast acting poison), arsenic (a slower acting poison), tar, nicotine, methane and acetone (used in nail polish remover and glue).

In addition, she said, children whos mothers smoked during pregnancy are more likely to suffer frm behavioral problems such as hyperactivity.

Along with this, Blevins said, secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in the nation. It causes lung cancer, heart disease and a variety of other types of cancer.

In all, some 53,000 people die annually in the U.S. from the effects of secondhand smoke. For Arkansas, 4,900 adults die each year from smoking and smoking related illnesses.

Some disheartening facts about tobacco use in Arkansas show more than 29 percent of high school students smoke, almost 25 percent of high school males use smokeless or spit tobacco, 6,000 children under 18 become new smokers daily, 177,000 children are exposed to secondhand smoke in their home, and children purchase 11.5 million packs of cigarettes a year.

Because of statistics like this several communities have implemented smoking bans, except in designated places. There are 15 restaurants in Nevada County, of these nine are smoke free. They are: B&B BBQ, Broadway, Flamingo Grill, Mama Maxs Diner, Pizza Hut, Sonic, Wolves, Olivers One Stop and Barrs Junction in Rosston.

She said when Fayetteville implemented a smoke free law for restaurants in 2004, the initial fear was business would decline. However, exactly the opposite occurred. Those restaurants saw a 69 percent increase in sales.

She asked League members who the first president was to ban smoking in the White House. The answer: Bill Clinton.

There being no further business, after Blevins finished her talk, the meeting adjourned.