To Smoke or Not To Smoke in Public
People have strong feelings concerning smoking in public places. Whether you are in favor of or in opposition to it, smoking in public places is a serious concern that need be addressed. I agree that it is unjust for smokers not to be allowed to smoke where they choose, but it is even more unreasonable for non smokers to be subjected to breathing in the exhaled smoke form someone else(passive smoking). Not to mention second-hand smoke is actually worse for someone than smoking itself. Along with the dangers second-hand smoke presents to the adults, think about what it does not only to your children but other children around you. Smokers may argue that non smokers can just as easily walk away as a smoker could. But the dangers of second-hand smoke travel approximately twenty-five feet; kind of hard to walk around that. So here we sit with an immense debate; to ban smoking in public places or not?
There are over 7, ooo chemicals in a cigarette, in upward of a hundred of these chemicals have been identified to be carcinogens (any substance known to cause cancer). Ammonia, arsenic, benzene, formaldehyde, hydrogen, and vinyl chloride cyanide are just a few. Carcinogens cause cancer in the body by causing the cells divide faster. These carcinogens are higher in the exhaled smoke of a cigarette, hence why it is more dangerous for non smokers to breathe in second-hand smoke. On a PBS interview, Dr. Regina Benjamin, the U.S. Surgeon General, says “The fact that you inhale or are exposed to the single tobacco smoke can affect you immediately. It immediately affects your blood cells…. And it is very harmful, the first breath you take of any inhaling smoke” (www.pbs.org).
Passive smoking can cause more d...
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...eathe smoke free air; it is becoming the new norm of the era.
Works Cited
Keeler, Sharon. "Banning Smoking in Public Places Is Good for Public Health." Home | University of New Hampshire. 24 Apr. 2003. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. .
"List of Smoking Bans in the United States." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. .
"Smoking and Tobacco Use :: Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) :: CDC." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web. 11 Mar. 2011. .
"Surgeon General: Smoking Even Once Poses Health Risks | PBS NewsHour | Dec. 9, 2010 | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. 09 Dec. 2010. Web. 13 Mar. 2011. .
Smoking has become a big epidemic in the United States. As a tobacco free person, I want to be able to breathe clean air anywhere I go. As we know, smoking can harm every organ in the body (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). I believe that smoking should be banned in public places such as drinking establishments, hospitals, buses, train stations, and restaurants. Not only does smoking affect the individual smoker, it also causes a number of health problems, increases death rate, and it affects not only the lives, but the health of other people around them. On the contrary, smoking should be banned in public areas for these reasons.
No matter how an individual exposed to smoke, it is damaged. The only way we can guide ourselves from contact to secondhand is inside or outside we must forbid any smoking on the property altogether. Splitting smokers to non-smokers into restaurants and public places cannot retain non-smokers from being unprotected from secondhand smoke. Smoke-free areas in restaurants and public places are critical to an individual’s health risk. The key factor is that all public places, workplaces, homes, and vehicles should be smoke-free and protect an individual well-being of Secondhand
Imagine you and your family are at a nice restaurant, waiting to enjoy a great meal, or so you think. As you lean in to take that first bite, a puff of smoke surrounds you, your family, and your food. How pleasant is this? A big topic being brought to attention these days is whether or not smoking should be banned from all restaurants and other public areas. Smoking in public areas should be taken into close consideration. There are many reasons of why this is brought to attention. These include the harmful effects it can have on all people, smokers and non-smokers, as well as the environment, which most people would not consider.
In America, there are many cities and states that have implemented a ban on smoking indoors in public areas because of the health effects caused for non-smokers. What isn’t considered, though, is that any amount of secondhand smoke is dangerous to a non-smoker, and not banning smoking outside public places can also be dangerous to non-smokers. Secondhand smoke can cause major cardiovascular problems including heart disease and heart attacks, it also has many negative side effects on children. Smoke free bans should be implemented in all public places, including sidewalks in populated areas to protect non-smokers from secondhand smoke, because secondhand smoke causes dangerous health problems in non-smokers that could possibly result in death.
Smoking cigarettes is a detrimental practice not only to the smoker, but also to everyone around the smoker. According to an article from the American Lung Association, “Health Effects” (n.d.), “Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., causing over 438,000 deaths per year”. The umbrella term for tobacco use includes the use of cigarettes, cigars, e-cigs and chewing tobacco. While tobacco causes adverse health consequences, it also has been a unifying factor for change in public health. While the tobacco industries targets specific populations, public health specifically targets smokers, possible smokers, and the public to influence cessation, policies and education.
Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, 69, of which are known to cause cancer. Smoking is directly responsible for about 90 percent of
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2004 [accessed 11th of November]
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, worldwide, and most importantly, in New York. Although the tobacco industry appears to be a beneficial addition to our economy, it has been a socially acceptable business in the past because it brings jobs to our people and tax money to our government; but the cost of tobacco related treatment, mortality, disability, and pollution, the government winds up having to provide the funds to programs related to these issues. If current smoking patterns continue, by 2030 the proportion of tobacco related death will be one in six, about 10 million deaths per year (World bank). There are scientific articles regarding the relation of premature mortality and disability to tobacco use. Places where tobacco use is commonly used, about ninety percent of cases of lung cancer, fifteen percent of cases of other cancers, seventy-five percent of cases of bronchitis and emphysema and twenty-five
This problem, which plagues all Americans, should have action taken on a local scale to help protect the health of the public. The Ames City Council is in the process of debating a city ordanince which whould ban smoking in all public places, with the exception of those designated as "smokng areas". A public place shall be defined by Subsection 142B.1(3) Code of IowaAmes City Council, Current Odrances, http://www.city.ames.ia.us/Whatsnew/smokingban.htm).
In my opinion, I think smoking in public isn’t good for non-smokers because if they breathe the smoke of smokers their health will be unhealthy a...
Cigarette smoking has been a controversial topic for the last few decades. There are two main sides making an argument, for and against. Many people started smoking because they believed it would make them look cool, lose weight, or they were pressured into cigarette smoking by their peers. However, cigarettes can do a lot of harmful damage to the smoker or any person who comes into contact with the smoker. The people in favor of cigarette smoking believe it is good for many reasons, but those opposed to smoking believe it should be banned in public places. There are numerous reasons why the smoking of cigarettes should be banned including: the many health risks for the smoker, the damage of secondhand smoke to those around them, and the rising
Limiting smoking in public areas is necessary to prevent exposing others to smoke, however it is not worth restricting the freedom of people who want to smoke. Those that smoke should be free to enjoy the same rights as the rest of the human beings around them. Opponents of this topic would say it is difficult to avoid being exposed to smokers that are in doorways or in a main public area. They are under the impression that even if smokers smoke in a designated area that it still affects them and causes them harm. Their opinion is that it is unfair to expose anyone to this danger and should be banned no matter if it violates the smoker’s freedom to choose.
Smoking is a simple process of inhaling and exhaling the fumes of burning tobacco, but it has deadly consequences. According to the American Cancer Society, smoking is the most preventable cause of death in America today (Encarta, 2002). Until the 1940?s, smoking was considered harmless. It was at this time that epidemiologists noticed a dramatic increase in the cases of lung cancer. A study was then conducted between smokers and nonsmokers to determine if cigarettes were the cause of this increase. This study, conducted by the American Cancer Society, found increased mortality among smokers. Yet it was not until 1964 that the Surgeon General put out a report acknowledging the danger of cigarettes. The first action to curb smoking was the mandate of a warning on cigarette packages by the Federal Trade Commission (Encarta, 2002). In 1971, all cigarette advertising was banned from radio and television, and cities and states passed laws requiring nonsmoking sections in public places and workplaces (Encarta, 2002). Now in some cities smoking is being completely banned from public places and workplaces and various people are striving for more of these laws against smoking.
Over 35% of the world population has asthma, that means they cannot inhale smoke. Smoking should be banned in public places because of many reasons; people’s health, the air that people breathe will be polluted and the food that is cooked wont be fresh. If smoking in public is not banned many people will stop visiting that place because they will feel uncomfortable. Majority of the people get annoyed from the smell of cigarettes.
Most controversial debate is going on public smoking ban. The reason is simple, smoking ban affects directly all people rapidly and we can see its effects in a short-term period. There have been a lot of arguments brought up both in favour and against a public smoking ban. Some of the arguments in favour are the following. Smoking ban is one of the controversial ways for reducing smoking and recognizing non-smokers’ right to health protection. The health risks of smoking are clear. Passive smoking does carry risks. Many leading medical and scientific organizations recognize second hand smoke as a cause of a range of life-threatening conditions. The health situation could be drastically improved if one of the risk factors - tobacco - was eliminated. People have a right to protect themselves from smoke inhalation. People shouldn’t have to inhale the ill-effects of other people’s smoking. The creation of smoke-free public places also improves air quality.