By Verna Fleming
Before working as project director for the Mississippi Tobacco-Free Coalition of Choctaw, Montgomery and Webster Counties, I never paid much attention to how exposure to secondhand smoke affects the health of everyone.
Since working with the Smokefree Air Mississippi initiative, I’ve learned some interesting facts.
Did you know exposure to secondhand smoke can lead to heart disease and heart attacks, causing about 50,000 deaths each year in the United States among adult non-smokers? Each year in Mississippi, an estimated 500 deaths occur from the exposure of secondhand smoke. The simple fact is, there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.
My eyes have been opened and I understand the need for Mississippi to become smokefree. For information on Smokefree Air Mississippi, contact the Mississippi Tobacco-Free Coalition of Choctaw, Montgomery and Webster Counties at 662-753- 9205.