Anti-tobacco display will be at RSL game

Spectators at Real Salt Lake's home game today will be urged to avoid using tobacco with a display of body bags as part of the state's "The Truth" anti-tobacco campaign.

"The dramatic effect of the display cannot be ignored," says RSL Chief Business Officer John Kimball. "We feel it is important to draw attention to this social issue that impacts countless lives on a minute-by-minute basis."

The body-bag display, which intended to give a visual reminder of how many people die from health problems due to smoking every 90 minutes, will be located at the south side of Rice-Eccles Stadium throughout the game.

According to state and national public health statistics, nearly 440,000 people die every year in the United States from tobacco-related causes — about 50 every hour. In Utah, about 1,100 people die each year from tobacco-related disease.