Tobacco-Free Outdoor Areas

Parks & Playgrounds

Workplace Grounds & Entryways

Why make outdoor spaces tobacco-free?

Secondhand smoke is harmful

Secondhand smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals including poisons and cancer-causing agents. The 2006 Surgeon General’s report concludes there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

Children exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to suffer from ear infections and reduced lung function. Secondhand smoke is especially harmful for children and adults with asthma and other chronic conditions.

Cigarette litter is hazardous

Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world. They are highly toxic and dangerous to children and animals. Small children are at risk of swallowing, choking or burning themselves with discarded butts and suffering nicotine poisoning.

Children model adult behavior

When children see adults smoking in family-friendly places such as parks and playgrounds, they see smoking as acceptable.

Every year in New York, nearly 36,000 children begin smoking. Every day an estimated 3,900 young people under the age of 19 try their first cigarette and one-third of these children will die prematurely from tobacco-related illness.

Who supports tobacco-free outdoor spaces?

Capital District residents overwhelmingly favor tobacco-free outdoor spaces (based on the Capital District 2009 Community Tobacco Survey):

80% of Albany County residents

88% in Rensselaer County residents

81% of Schenectady County residents