In Maine, legislation that took effect May 13, 2009 was the first in the nation to prohibit smoking at state beaches, common areas in all State Parks and State Historic Sites.  These areas include:

    *  Beaches

     * Playgrounds

     * Snack Bars

     * Picnic Shelters

     * Business Facilities

     * Any Enclosed Public Place or Public Restroom

 

The law supports a cleaner and safer environment, free of cigarette butts and secondhand smoke.  The US Surgeon General has stated that there is no safe level of secondhand smoke and cigarette butts are the most common kind of litter in the United States.  Tobacco Smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals and many are known to cause cancer.  The filters contain numerous dangerous chemicals and take up to ten years to break down.  Cigarettes are the leading cause of fire in the US, costing lives and millions of dollars in damages.

 

Celebrate Maine's Park System's 75^th Anniversary, get your passport at your favorite State Park.  To learn more about the Maine State Parks Passport visit www.maine.gov/doc/parks/ and enjoy Maine's beautiful treasures free of tobacco smoke and related litter

 

 

Eye Injury Prevention Month

UV Safety Month

July is UV Safety Month, and eye doctors are urging Americans to protect their eyes and their children's eyes by wearing sunglasses and wide-brimmed hats.   Recent studies have shown that prolonged exposure to the sun's invisible, high energy ultraviolet rays without protection may cause eye conditions that can lead to vision loss, such as cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.  During the summer months the level of ultraviolet radiation is three times greater than in the winter.

Sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat are the best defense system for your eyes against sunlight and harmful UV rays. To be effective, both must be worn every time you're outside for prolonged periods of time, even when it's overcast.

But what type of sunglasses should you buy? The most important thing is to purchase sunglasses that block 99 to 100 percent of UV-A and UV-B rays.  Don't be misled by the color of the lens or the price tag dangling from the frame. 

The ability to block UV light is not dependent on the darkness of the lens. UV protection can come from adding chemicals to the lens material during manufacturing or from a chemical coating applied to the lens surface. And as for the cost, many $10 sunglasses provide equal or greater protection than a $100 pair. With expensive sunglasses, you're paying for style, frame quality and options such as scratch-resistant coatings, and not necessarily protective UV ray blocking ability.

In addition to the damage caused by repeated sun exposure overtime, you need to protect your eyes from acute damage caused by a single day in the sun. Excessive exposure to ultraviolet light reflected off sand, snow or pavement can burn the eye's surface. Similar to sunburns, eye surface burns usually disappear within a couple of days, but may lead to further complications later in life.

 

Everyone Deserves Massage Week

• 65% reported that they have tried alcohol,
• 38% reported that they drank alcohol within the last month,
• 20% reported binge drinking within the last two weeks.
• 86% reported a low perception of being caught for drinking alcohol