America Needs a Complete Smoking Ban Essay

Smoking is an activity that has been around for many years for people to use and adapt into their lifestyle. It is a tool that many people use to help reduce the stresses of life and put them in a comfortable position that enables them to cope with the hectic lifestyle they are living. However, smoking has been scientifically proven to cause many types of cancer, the most common being lung cancer resulting in numerous deaths across the United States. According to BBC, "Smoking is a greater cause of death and disability than any single disease" (BBC, 2). Evidently, the benefits and drawbacks of smoking have been debated for many years, and only recently have some countries have placed a ban in public places such as Britain and the United

Every year, there are over 400,000 smoking-related deaths in the United States. A large percentage of these are due to lung cancer, whose leading cause is smoking. However, not all deaths are smokers themselves. Anyone in the vicinity can fall victim to second hand smoke. These people, through no action of their own, can have their lives threatened.

Children 's lungs are still developing at young ages and adult’s occurs harmful effects on the heart. There are millions of children breathing smoke in their home with second hand smoke and second hand smokers don’t realize that their children are especially at more risk to their health than they are. Smoking in vehicles with under age of 18 should ban the law and children whose parents smoke around should also be illegal because in a small enclosed space such as a vehicle with a sunroof has more toxic air which expose breathing more rapidly. According to the author Leada Grove, created an article from AL.com wrote that “80 percent of smoke is invisivble and opening windows does not remove its harmful effects. The level of toxic air in a vehicle where someone is smoking is up to 10 times worse than levels that is considered hazardous”. Approximately 250,000 children and adults (non smokers) have died from health problems that exposed to secondhand smoke. Some states in the U.S. had established the secondhand smoke law that is illegal, however other states are still under construction to establish this law. All states should make this law a new law for all second hand smokers because as of right now our country have gained a major health issue and money wise for the government.

Every day in America families’ gathers together to celebrate special events or the accomplishments of one of its members. Many times these special moments can be ruined or brought to an abrupt end due to others nearby smoking. Public spaces should be safe and accessible to all members of society to use without the inconvenience of someone else’s smoking ruining their outing or causing health issues to flare up such as, asthma. People do have the right to choose to smoke if they desire, but nonsmokers have the right to go out to public places with their family and not be exposed to harmful secondhand smoke. Studies have shown that secondhand smoke is just as harmful as smoking and leads to a higher occurrence of cancer and heart disease. Furthermore,

Healthy People 2020 describes some of the harmful effects caused by tobacco. Those causes outlined are cancer, heart disease and stroke, lung diseases, reproductive effects, and many other diseases. (2017) These harmful effects are direct to the smoker but are also harmful secondhand to those who because subjected to the smoke. Children are especially exposed to secondhand smoke as they have limited control in escaping from it. Diseased commonly caused and also discussed in Healthy People 2020 are “severe asthma attacks, respiratory infections, ear infections, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)” (2017) The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services posted an article with the Surgeon General, titled, The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress.; outlined in

It is now known that secondhand smoke (SHS) is more toxic than firsthand smoke (FHS), posing a serious health risk to children who have no control over whether they are exposed or not. Additionally, a new potential health risk has been discovered: thirdhand exposure (THE). Thirdhand exposure occurs when nicotine and other chemicals from secondhand smoke deposit on surfaces, such as floors, walls, and tables. THE exists wherever nicotine has been smoked, creating multiple exposure routes and exposing people via. touch, ingestion, and inhalation2. Evidence has emerged showing that THE potentially poses similar health risks as SHS, but the public is skeptical about these

Smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in the world. Although this lifestyle practice usually warrants a person’s conscious choice to inhale toxic fumes, more than the sole individual are affected by this habit. Passive or involuntary smoking results when bystanders are collaterally forced to also breathe in a product containing at least 70 carcinogens and 7000 chemicals, as a consequence of another person’s smoking (American Cancer Society, 2015). Evidence suggests secondhand smoking (SHS) can lead to “lung, larynx, pharynx, nasal sinuses, brain, bladder, rectum, stomach, and breast cancers” in adults, even though they never smoked firsthand. Although the severity of health abnormalities and illnesses vary due to exposure, the gravity of the repercussions of SHS cannot remain disregarded. The American Cancer Society proposes that due to a child’s pivotal physical, mental, and emotional development, they are “most affected by SHS and least able to avoid it” (2015). In addition to the impediment of a child’s development, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is potentially linked to the development of “lymphoma, leukemia, liver cancer, brain tumors, asthma, infections, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)” (American Cancer Society, 2015). ETS is literally a grave dilemma plaguing nations.

In 1979, the US National Longitudinal Survey of Youth used the Peabody Individual Achievement Test to show that children born to smoking mother’s had an IQ that was on average, 2.87 points lower than other children. This study was not respected until the 1990’s when there were several efforts by both the United States Congress and the U.S Food and Drug Administration to protect youth from cigarettes. Prior to this, Americans tried to deny the fact that tobacco was harmful due to the glorification of the product as well as how frequently it was used in pop culture. However, in the last decade attention has shifted to secondhand smoke awareness. Although the ability to purchase the products has been revoked for children, it is still legal for their parents to do so. This secondhand smoke is extremely dangerous, especially for children. That being said, we should start to eradicate tobacco around them.

Other than affecting the health of the smoker, the second-hand smoke from smokers' cigarettes can also affect the health of others around them. When someone is smoking a cigarette in public or anywhere else there may be other people, they aren't only risking their own life, but the other people's lives around them as well. They need to recognize this and be more respectful to the others around them. Non-smokers who breathe in this second-hand smoke may experience allergies or a variety of different irritations. This is especially dangerous to pregnant women who are open to the second-hand smoke, for it can enlarge the risk of having an irregular birth. However, with a little bit of our help, in time these smokers can learn and will not allow

Well I think that we are all in agreement that protecting children from second hand smoke is right thing to do. But I think that the real questions with this is, when does it become the parent's responsibility rather than the government's, both local and federal.

There is no safe level of exposure for secondhand smoke; it is fatal to numerous people. It gradually and silently kills thousands every year and will continue to strike in the future. The American Lung Association states, “Secondhand smoke is a serious health hazard causing more than 41,000 deaths per year. It can cause or make worse a wide range of damaging health effects in children and adults, including lung cancer, respiratory infections and asthma” (lung.org 26 December 2015). As the amount of smoke-related fatalities increased between 1964 and 2014, U.S. politicians advocated the protest against smoking, especially in

Secondhand smoking causes many defects for children as they grow up. As parents of young children smoke in the car, these children are exposed to this secondhand smoke frequently. According to Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "Secondhand smoke causes numerous health problems in infants and children, including more frequent and severe asthma attacks, respiratory infections, ear infection, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)." As these children group up, the health problems resulting from the secondhand smoke exposure affects their lifestyle and future.

Second hand smoke is defined as the combination of smoke emitted by the burning end of cigarette or any other tobacco products and smoke emitted by the smoker. Individuals can be victims of secondhand smoke in various ways and places inkling the safety of being at home, vehicle, workplaces, parks and various public places. According to Jonathan, smoke contains over 200 poisonous gases, chemicals and metals in its smoke. Numerous public health research indicates that tobacco smoke causes cancer and cardiac diseases to non-smokers. According to the 2006 US Surgeon report, there is no safe level of exposure as far as secondhand smoking is a concern and on average in populations children are more exposed to secondhand smoking than in adults. Despite the level of exposure being on the decline between the years 1988-1994 and 1999-2004, children were still in the subgroup with the least level of decline as compared to other subgroups. This is a cause for concern and a reason for disparagement.

Secondhand smoke is when someone breathes in the smoke burning from the end of a cigarette and the smoke being blown out by the smokers. There is no safe level of breathing in secondhand smoke. Taking in a small amount of secondhand smoke can still be very harmful to an adult or a child. Nonsmokers who are around secondhand smoke are at risk of developing heart disease by 25-30%. Breathing in secondhand smoke interferes with the functioning of the heart and vascular systems which increases the chance of having a heart attack (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). Smoking near a pregnant women increases the chance of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), which is when a child dies from something unexpected. In 2005-2009, among adult non smokers, there was an estimated 34,000 heart disease deaths per year in the United States among nonsmokers ( Secondhand Smoke, 2013). Tobacco smoke can can trigger asthmatic attacks, bronchial infections, and other serious health problems in nonsmokers. Breathing in tobacco for 30 minutes can also increase non smokers to have a fatal heart attack. Citizen’s shouldn’t have to worry about breathing in toxic air from someone smoking

Since children generally possess instincts that make them curious about the world around them, they may be tempted to investigate the cigarette butts that have been left to cause numerous problems. Considering cigarettes contain overwhelming amounts of carcinogens and other toxic chemicals, children who explore this destructive product are putting their health at risk. Public smoking in the youth’s eyes may portray smoking as a social activity; however, children are not aware of how much harm one cigarette could cause. Some studies have proven that second hand smoking could cause cognitive impairments, behavioral problems, and other severe illnesses to children alone. Children are in more danger of this appalling product because their organs are still developing as they age, and are at a higher risk of contracting an illness.