R.I. Lung Association representative says cigarette butts poison babies and small children

politifact.com – 22 de Febrero de 2015 – EEUU

A bill before the General Assembly would prohibit smoking on public beaches; the Senate Judiciary Committee took testimony on the proposal Feb. 12.

There were only two speakers. One was Steven Brown, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union,’s Rhode Island chapter, who objected to the provision calling for violators being charged with a misdemeanor.

The other was Karina Wood of the American Lung Association, who cited the health dangers of secondhand smoke.

But she also talked about another aspect of the issue -- the environmental problems posed by beach butts (the cigarette kind, not the anatomical variety).

"Environmentally, cigarette butts are unsightly. They are the number one polluting litter on our beaches," she said. "I've been involved in beach cleanups myself with my kids and you'll be amazed, or maybe you won't, at how many of those butts are littering our beaches. And they're dangerous to animals -- wildlife, birds."

"And also they poison babies and small children because of the nicotine in them."

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http://www.politifact.com/rhode-island/statements/2015/feb/23/karina-wood/ri-lung-association-representative-says-cigarette-/