Miguel Duran Gomez Jr.: Smoke-free parks would make everyone safer

I was saddened to read the article “Merced continues to fail in tobacco control, report shows” (Page 1A, Feb. 4). As a 16-year-old living in Planada, I was concerned to read that the state of California and Merced County received an F in the American Lung Association’s latest report for tobacco control – especially in the category of “recreational areas.”

Recently, I was able to help at two park clean-up events in Planada and LeGrand, both coordinated by the Merced County Department of Public Health. At each, the volunteers from my class found over 1,000 cigarette butts. There’s a lot of gang activity at the parks and they drop a lot of cigarette butts, which are dangerous to children and animals and should not be left lying around.

In Planada, we’re surrounded by mountains and the air quality is bad. We already have a high chance of getting illnesses like asthma; secondhand smoke makes them worse. Smoke-free parks are a good idea because they will make it more likely people will feel safer when they go outside. To support smoke-free parks, call the Merced County Department of Public Health (209 381-1156) to learn how you can get involved.

This story was originally published February 8, 2016 at 12:26 PM with the headline "Miguel Duran Gomez Jr.: Smoke-free parks would make everyone safer."