“A Harvard School of Public Health report issued last year said secondhand smoke in cars can be up to 10 times more of a health risk than secondhand smoke in a home.”
Although this study’s findings may be obvious they are important. Think of all those people who were told to smoke outside instead of in the house so the smoke wouldn’t be trapped in the house. Now imagine that in a car. Of course it’s worse, it’s a smaller space, thus your breathing it in a more condensed form for a longer period of time.
No, it does not help to have your cigarette poking out the window. As a non-smoker who has many friends who smoke and thus have been subject to riding in a car with them, I can attest that it is still pungent.
But I digress. The point is that studies like these have recently become a fad. Due to their popularity more information is flooding the general public. This has been putting pressure on the government, and thus, creating legislature. Recently the Governator signed a bill that bans smoking in cars while anyone under 18 is present. California is the third state to pass a bill that bans smoking in cars around children. The first two were Arkansas and Louisiana.
I have to cheer these states on in there efforts. There may not be any clear and complete evidence linking smoking or secondhand smoke to the world’s worst illnesses (or at least not that I know of), but no one can deny that smoking isn’t exactly a healthy choice. As more and more diseases are spreading to areas of the world they have never been in, (Take a look at a recent article in Times magazine, “The Changing Face of Breast Cancer,” and you’ll see how one disease is expanding its reach.) it is important to try to reduce the amount of dangerous chemicals and forces being introduced to today’s youth.
I’m not saying that we need to ban all things that can be seen as harmful. After all what’s the fun of living without a little risk. But risk should be something that we choose to do and should not be chosen for us by others. So again I say, this new legislation against secondhand smoke is a responsible choice by California and other states. At least until we learn more about why diseases like breast cancer are spreading faster and farther than ever.
2 comments:
It's interesting, the laws that are passed regarding what you can and can't do in a car. I know you're not supposed to talk on your cell phone in many states while driving, but that doesn't stop people from doing it. I think that unless the roads are better patrolled and the rules more strictly enforced, laws like "No smoking in a car around children" are by and large going to be ignored by the average citizen.
It is true that most people won't stop doing it just because the government says so. However, the structure of this particular bill makes me believe that it is not ment to stop people from doing it, but to make them think twice about the costs. It is a secondary offense for which the person could be fined up to $100. Which means the person has to violate some other traffic law before they can be charged for smoking.
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