Federal Smoking Ban
Krystine Mercado
Professor Watnik
English 1B
21 July 2014
Federal Smoking Ban
Have you ever wondered how many people die from secondhand smoke? Last year alone, over 42,000 people died from secondhand smoke, many of whom have never smoked a day in their life. Those people died from complications due to being exposed to secondhand smoke, like heart disease, cancer and respiratory tract infections. (SHS Facts) While many cities and states have implemented their own laws prohibiting smoking, there has not been a nationwide law restricting people from smoking in public places. The government should implement and enforce a federal smoking ban in all public places, because it will decrease people’s exposure to secondhand smoke, which will benefit their lives and health in various ways.
While there is no nationwide smoking ban, many states have implemented their own version of a smoking ban law and/or restriction. California was the first of the 50 states to enforce a statewide smoking ban, which was done so in 1995. In the years since the first statewide smoking ban, many states have followed suit. As of January 2014, there were 28 states that had their own version of a smoking ban, and in those states smoking is banned in all enclosed public places, like malls and restaurants. Some of those states include Hawaii, New York, Maryland, Washington and Nebraska (being the newest addition to the list). There are also a few exemptions to the smoking ban as well. For example, smoking is allowed in casinos in California and in Arizona, smoking is allowed in private clubs. Smoking is also banned by the United States Department of Transportation on all commercial passenger flights in the United States, including all American airlines, which was enforced in April of 1998.
When people smoke tobacco products, it exposes the people around them to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke is a mixture of two different kinds of smoke that comes from burning tobacco. The first type of secondhand smoke is called sidestream smoke. Sidestream smoke comes from the lighted end of a cigarette (or other tobacco product). The second type of secondhand smoke is called mainstream smoke. Mainstream smoke is the smoke that a smoker exhales into the atmosphere. Sidestream smoke is the most dangerous out of the two because it has higher concentrations of carcinogens, which are also known as cancer-causing agents, and its particles are also smaller. This means that it is easier for the smaller particles to make their way into the body’s cells and the lungs. Sidestream smoke is also more dangerous to the people that inhale it, rather than the person who is actually smoking, because the smoke inhaled is not passed through a filter. (Secondhand Smoke)
Secondhand smoke is very harmful to anyone who is exposed to it. Secondhand smoke contains over 7,000 harmful chemical compounds, 250 of which are known to be damaging to one’s health, and 50 of those are known to cause cancer. These dangerous substances can remain in the air for several hours, and can be very harmful even if you are only exposed to it for a short amount of time. Studies conducted by researchers at Cleveland Clinic show that in as little as 5 minutes, exposure to secondhand smoke stiffens the aorta as much as smoking a cigarette, in 20-30 minutes it causes excess blood clotting, as well as increases the buildup of fat deposits in blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke, and in 2 hours it increases the chance of irregular heart beat (arrhythmia) and can trigger a fatal cardiac event or heart attack. (Cleveland Clinic) According to cancer.org, 3,400 non-smoking adults died from lung cancer last year, worse asthma and asthma-related problems were found in up to 1 million asthmatic children and over 150,000 children under 18 had lower respiratory tract infections, with over 7,500 hospitalizations each year. (Secondhand Smoke)
Service industry workers, pregnant women and children have the highest risk of being harmed by secondhand smoke. Service industry workers, like bartenders and employees of casinos, work in environments where they are being exposed to smokers for long periods of time. They are exposed to harmful carcinogens and other harmful chemicals on a regular basis, which puts them at greater risk for developing health issues. Secondhand smoke is also very dangerous to pregnant women. Secondhand smoke not only exposes the mother-to-be, but also her unborn child. Being exposed to smoke during pregnancy increases health risks, and it also decreases the amount of oxygen that gets to the mother and baby, which can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or a premature birth. Children are also at risk for many health problems if exposed to secondhand smoke. Since children have developing immune systems, they are more susceptible to contracting respiratory infections like bronchitis and pneumonia, high blood pressure, asthma, poor dental health and in some cases, learning and behavior problems. (SHS Facts)