Come, Let Us Breathe
Each year in the United States, a single killer claims the lives of nearly 73,000 adults and 2,700 infants. This violent killer also causes 700,000 to 1,600,000 doctor visits, 150,000 to 300,000 respiratory infections in infants and toddlers, 7,500 to 15,000 hospitalizations, and 400,000 to 1,000,000 asthmatic aggravations annually—yet we let this killer run free (Secondhand). These victims do not personally know the killer; therefore, they are nothing more than helpless, innocent, unsuspecting bypassers. Who is this killer, you ask? Second-hand smoke; something needs to be done to stop this horrid assassin.
The disclosure of many facts such as these has brought the problem with second-hand smoke into the public eye quite a lot over the past few years. In fact, many states are starting to place laws against smoking—either statewide or citywide—in all public places. So far, ten states (CA, CT, DE, ME, MA, NY, RI, VT, WA, and OH) have passed no smoking (Secondhand). Just this past election, Ohio enacted the “Smoke-Free Ohio” law, banning smoking statewide in all indoor public places. However, this law also requires those who still wish to smoke to be at least fifteen feet away from the building at all times so as not to affect those walking in and out. Bans like these are the first step in eliminating the harmful issues surrounding second-hand smoke because they allow people to go out and enjoy themselves without feeling at risk from other’s habits.
However, smoke-free laws alone will not completely stop the harmful affects of one person’s smoke from affecting anyone else. Currently, about 21 million children in the United States spend their days and nights in houses where others (their parents and visitors) smoke regularly. This smoking is to blame in the case of 2,700 sudden infant deaths each year. In fact, traceable levels of nicotine byproducts can be found in the blood of up to seventy-five percent of American children (Secondhand). These children have rights to life as well as adults, but their parents are knowingly putting them at risk on a consistent basis and it has to stop. Physical abuse of a child has been illegal for decades in the U.S., but second-hand smoke has the potential to kill these children as well. Should it not be considered abuse as well? How is it not okay for parents to spank their children but it is okay to expose them to lethal substances? For step two, a ban should be enforced on all indoor places—both public and private.
Knowing very well the problems such a ban would cause when dealing with private property, it will definitely hit some serious resistance. In fact, it might not even work. But, it is a very non-subtle hint to the third step—making cigarettes, cigars, and pipes completely illegal. The number of people killed each year by second-hand smoke is 2.5 times greater than the number killed by gunfire (in 2003, Gun). Murder by gunfire is illegal, so why is it legal for such a greater number of people to be murdered by second-hand smoke? We have a serious problem here. What is done is done, but it is the job of the present to protect the lives of the future. The only way to do this is to eliminate the problem of second-hard smoke completely using this total ban.
Second-hand smoke is not just a problem in large quantities or continual subjection or any other myths floating around the tobacco companies. According to the current Surgeon General’s Report, “scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to second-hand smoke” (Secondhand). This silent killer claims more lives each year than gunfire and automobile accidents combined (Leading). We’ve come a long way, but we still have a longer way to go.
Works Cited
“Gun Violence in America.” NRA Information – Gun Violence in America. 16 March
2007. <http://www.vpc.org/nrainfo/phil.html>
“Leading Causes of Death in the United States.” National Vital Statistics Report.
<http://www.the-eggman.com/writings/death_stats.html>
“Secondhand Smoke Fact Sheet.” American Lung Association. Aug. 2006. 16 March
2007. <http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=35422>
