News Release                   For Immediate Release

February 25, 2005

Have you received your purple envelope yet?

Purple envelopes should be arriving home soon with children attending Grey and Bruce elementary schools. The purple envelopes are part of a campaign designed to educate parents and caregivers that smoking indoors – at home, at a relative’s house, at daycare or in a car – increases their child’s risk of getting sick.

The purple envelopes contain brochures and window clings to provide families with materials to support a smoke-free home and car environment. The “Protect Your Kids... Smoke Outside” message is being delivered in radio, billboard and cinema ads in February and March.

Children who breathe second-hand smoke are more likely to get colds, ear infections, bronchitis or pneumonia.  Smoking indoors triggers asthma symptoms and can cause asthma in children who previously showed no symptoms. Second-hand smoke is also responsible for increased doctor and hospital visits.  In the long-term, non-smokers can get lung cancer and heart disease from exposure to second-hand smoke.

“With 4000 chemicals, and 40 known to cause cancer, second-hand smoke is poisonous.  It’s even more harmful for infants and children, since they breathe faster than adults,” said Linda Davies, Tobacco Control Manager at the Public Health Unit.  “Opening a car window or smoking in another room won’t clear the harmful chemicals from the air.  It does matter where you smoke and it’s best to smoke outside since there’s no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke.”

Local data collected in 2003 reports that 63 per cent of households in Grey-Bruce are totally smoke-free.  Seventy-three per cent of local drivers reported that smoking is not allowed in the vehicles they drive.

In partnership with both the Bluewater and Bruce-Grey Catholic school boards, more than 16,000 purple envelopes will find their way home to parents and caregivers.  This campaign is coordinated by public health with special funding from the Program Training and Consultation Centre, a provincial tobacco-free network.  For further information, call Public Health at (519) 376-9420.

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For more information, please contact:

Helen Risteen, Public Health Nurse

Grey Bruce Health Unit

(519) 881-1920 ext. 233
February 25, 2005

BACKGROUNDER:

SECOND-HAND SMOKE

Most people are now aware that exposure to second-hand smoke can cause lung cancer and heart disease.  However, many people do not realize that exposure to second-hand smoke is particularly harmful to infants and children.  Unfortunately, close to one million children in Canada are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke. 

Some facts about second-hand smoke:

·        Babies exposed to second-hand smoke are more likely to die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), also known as crib death.

·        Children exposed to second-hand smoke are at greater risk of developing asthma, ear infections, pneumonia, and bronchitis, and are more likely to need hospital care.

·        Children with asthma who are exposed to second-hand smoke have more attacks and the attacks are often more severe.

·        Harmful chemicals can remain in the home through contaminated dust and surfaces even if smoking took place days, weeks and months earlier.

·        Many studies have revealed that opening a window, smoking in another room, or using an air purifier are not effective ways to remove second-hand smoke.

·        Children can also be exposed to very high levels of second-hand smoke in cars and other vehicles.  Second-hand smoke in a vehicle can be 23 times more toxic than in a house because of the smaller space.  However, rolling down the window does not significantly decrease a child’s exposure.

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Attachments:

News Feature

Campaign Artwork

  - Smoke Free House

  - Smoke-Free Car

For more information, please contact:

Helen Risteen, Public Health Nurse

Grey Bruce Health Unit

(519) 881-1920 ext. 233