Quote:
Originally Posted by boobaloo
Well, as a Respiratory Therapist for longer than lots of you have been alive, I can assure you that second hand smoke is one of worst things possible. I have the largest bag over my head for smoking for 16 years. Back when I trained, everyone smoked. We used to joke about how it was like being a parent....do as I say, not as I do.
Rather than go somewhere such as straightdope.com to get medical information, perhaps looking at a place like the Mayo Clinic which is world renowned for it's medical care might give you a little insight on second hand smoke. Oh, and here's the link.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sec...-smoke/CC00023
And no, I am not being arrogant etc etc etc. I can't tell you how many people I've had to comfort and try and ease their breathing while they were dying from the effects of cigarette smoke. I can't tell you how many hands I've held of people who were dying of second hand smoke. If only smokers REALLY knew what happens when you get COPD from smoking and breathing other's smoke....you have NO idea....it is among the most unpleasant ways to die. And yes, I've had people die on me in pretty much every way imaginable.
Your lungs do not heal themselves once you stop smoking. They regain SOME of their "pinkness" but not all. We have special cameras called bronchoscopes we use to look at people's lungs, and I can assure you that it's easy to tell the ones that have smoked....long after quitting. It's not just about the color.
Diesel trucks, SUV's etc...they are a problem, too, without a doubt. But nothing is as deliberate as taking that cigarette and lighting it. It's a brutal way to kill yourself. And for the poster that said that smokers shouldn't have to pay for health care because the don't live as long....you are wrong, my friend....Emphysema can torture you for years and years....wasting your body away slowly as you gasp for every breath....
Anyone that thinks that smoking should not be illegal is either ignorant or just not listening. The true facts are out there. Quit sticking your head in the sand. |
I didn't post the link to the straight dope for its medical evidence. I quoted it to point out that there have been serious issues with the studies done on second hand smoke. Once again your link to the mayo clinic isn't a study. It does show anything about second hand smoke..
For the record I don't think second hand smoke is good. If you live in a small area with someone and they smoke constantly obviously you are going to feel the effects. It would be silly to suggest otherwise. However the idea that walking by somebody smoking is going to kill you is just ridiculous. This applies to restaurants and bars, having to work in an environment where 50 people are sitting around smoking in a small room, is going to have a negative effect, no doubt about it. This not the same as having to walk past someone smoking outside a bar or restaurant.
As far as the the lungs turning pink argument, clearly anybody who has smoked for a very long time, is not going to get back to square one. Once again just trying to point out that if someone who smokes for a short period, will heal, that walking past or standing near someone smoking for 30 seconds OUTSIDE will have little to no effect.
Just to state, again I am a non smoker, I support no smoking in bars, restaurants, I don't think people should smoke anywhere near a young child, but the argument that walking by a smoker will give you cancer and kill you right now, is just dumb. Whether or not people agree that the cars pollute argument is valid doesn't matter. Whats worse? Walking down the street and walking past a smoker, or walking down the street next to big suv's and diesel trucks putting out pollution the whole way you are breathing that in the whole time, not 15 seconds.
For the record I don't want to ban cars either.
Yes it might be unpleasant to walk past a smoker, but I also find it unpleasant to walk past a car blasting nickleback, this will have a negative affect on my hearing and my mood..
