Fresh Air Orland saw success in Glenn County in 2012, when the Orland City Council adopted an ordinance in February that includes limiting smoking to designated smoking areas in city parks. Fresh Air Orland was a campaign by the American Lung Association in California to encourage a smoke-free policy for parks to reduce secondhand smoke exposure in public recreational areas and cigarette litter.
Read more about the Orland City Council’s vote:
ChicoER.com - New Smoking Rules Passed in Orland
FAO Orland Press Release
For the last 2 years, the American Lung Association has worked with a group of Orland High School students called SWAT, or Students Working Against Tobacco, to encourage the city to limit smoking in all city parks to help protect public health. The SWAT team participated in two park clean up events in 2011, with the goal of removing butt litter and educating the community on secondhand smoke. The students picked up hundreds of butts during the clean up events, picking up cigarette litter from around playgrounds, benches, and the walkways of the parks.
Click here to see pictures of the cigarette butts collected in Orland parks in 2011.
There are a number of reasons why secondhand smoke is more than a nuisance and is considered a health risk outdoors. Secondhand smoke contains hundreds of chemicals known to be toxic or carcinogenic, including formaldehyde, benzene, cadmium, and arsenic.
Short-term exposure to tobacco smoke can trigger asthma attacks, migraines, and allergic reactions.
Click here to find out about the health risks from secondhand smoke exposure.
The idea of a smoke-free park is not to make people who smoke feel unwelcome. Smoke-free policies are designed to merely limit the area in which smoking is permitted and provide cleaner air for everyone.
We want to thank the City Council of Orland for adopting the smoke-free policy on parks and for making the community of Orland a much safer and cleaner place!
Show your appreciation to the Orland City Council by sending an email to the Assistant City Manager at acrook@cityoforland.com.