Tobacco smoke is killing thousands of people every year and injuring hundreds of thousands more every day like children. Federal officials released a massive report that is sparking renewed efforts to ban smoking in public places. Secondhand smoke has been classified as known carcinogen, this classification is only shared by ten other pollutants.(These pollutants include benzene, asbestos and smoke inhaled directly from cigarettes. Govenor Mario Cuomo has asked the Legislature to outlaw smoking on school grounds and antismoking advocates said they would target airlines and fast food chains for similar bans.
The risk of developing lung cancer due to tobacco smoke is 1 in 1,000 for nonsmokers and 2 in 1,000 for nonsmoking spouses of smokers. However, the risk for smokers is 70 in every 1,000.
Passive smoking causes between 150,000 and 300,000 cases of bronchitis, pneumoia and similar infections in children less than 18 months old and worsens the condition of between 200,000 and 1 million asthmatic children. It is pointless to allow people to smoke in one part of a restaurant and not to allow it in another when eventuallly the nonsmoking section breathes in the smoke.
In conclusion, second hand smoke is a human carcinogen that kills about 3,000 U.S. nonsmokers because of lung cancer annually. Cigarette smoke is responsible ffor 150,000 to 300,000 cases of bronchitis and pneumonia and other lower respiratory infections in children up to 18 months of age. Tobacco smoke is also known to cause the build-up of fluid in the middle ear causing various infections. As one can see it is not recommended for people to smoke in public due to the effects it has on smokersa s as well as nonsmokers.
