All In Mountain Brook to host tobacco, e-cigs, vaping program April 18

All In Mountain Brook will host two programs on the health implications of tobacco, e-cigarettes and vaping April 18th at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. A morning session will begin at 9 a.m. and an evening session at 6:30 p.m.

Pride Surveys taken by Mountain Brook students indicate the prevalence of these products among area teens is “surprisingly high,” according to event coordinators.  

“We hope parents will come out to this rare opportunity to hear from experts about tobacco use among our youth,” said Leslie Brown, a Mountain Brook parent of children in the sixth, ninth and 11th grades as well as an All In board member. “There’s been a lot of interest in e-cigarettes and this will be a major focus.”

Brown said teenagers are encouraged to attend as well.

Along with discussing the prevalence of use, the talk will also focus on measures that can be taken to help address the problem.

Recently, All In has been part of efforts to strengthen Mountain Brook’s ordinances regarding public smoking. The city’s current policy, enacted in 2005, helps provide some protection from secondhand smoke in public areas and places of employment. But, according to an All In presentation shared by board members, recent studies, including the 2010 Report from the U.S. Surgeon General, conclude that there is “no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.” The only way to effectively protect the population from exposure to secondhand smoke, therefore, is to implement 100 percent smoke-free environments.

The April 18 presentation will feature talks from Dr. Susan Walley of UAB and Children’s of Alabama, Dr. Kevin Alexander who owns Alexander Dentistry, Charline Whyte of the Jefferson County Health Department and Dale Wisely, Ph.D. of Mountain Brook Schools.

Whyte said her role in the presentation will be to help educate the audience on the best practices to eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke, including comprehensive smoke-free policies.

“From a health standpoint,” said Whyte, also citing the 2010 Surgeon General report, “there’s no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.”

Also of concern, she said, are the misconceptions among the general population regarding the use of e-cigarettes and the “quite alarming” rates of cigarette use among teens.

The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are requested. To reserve your seat, visit www.allinmountainbrook.org. St. Luke’s is located at 3737 Montrose Road.