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Reasons Public Places Should Be Smoke Free

As of December 2010, smoking sections in most public places have been banned. Smokers can no longer smoke in stores, bars or restaurants. Many of these locations have even prohibited smokers from smoking outside of their doors. Tysons Corner Center in McLean, Virginia, for example, has posted signs outside of all of its doors warning smokers not to smoke in the immediate vicinity of the mall. There are many good reasons not to allow smokers to smoke in public places. Almost all of those reasons have to do with public health and safety.

  1. The Smell of Cigarette Smoke

    • One good reason to ban smokers from smoking in public places is the smell of cigarette smoke. Though the smoke from cigarettes may dissipate fairly quickly in the air, its smell does not. The odor hangs in the air, clinging to people and their clothing. Thus, someone who does not smoke may carry the smell of someone else's cigarette smoke around all day.

    Secondhand Smoke

    • Studies have shown secondhand smoke -- cigarette smoke inhaled by someone in the proximity of a smoker -- to be almost as dangerous as smoking a cigarette. Smokers choose to put their own health in danger by smoking, but smoking in a public place puts others in danger as well. Secondhand smoke is known to increase the chances of a victim developing lung cancer later in life.

    Allergies

    • Many people with allergies find that their symptoms are aggravated by cigarette smoke. Some neighborhoods have banned residents and visitors from carrying peanuts in public because of the severity of peanut allergies. Cigarette smoke is not much different and may be quite dangerous to some people. Those already with allergies that cause nasal congestion or breathing difficulties may experience more severe symptoms from cigarette smoke inhalation.

    Emphysema and Breathing Difficulties

    • Cigarette smoke may be dangerous to those with allergies but it can be more dangerous to people with chronic respiratory conditions. Smokers may be inadvertently risking the lives of those with conditions such as asthma or emphysema.

    Cigarettes and Fire

    • Not all smokers take care to extinguish their cigarettes thoroughly. On top of that, many smokers still extinguish their cigarettes by throwing them on the ground. This makes little difference on asphalt or concrete -- other than littering -- but in a wooded or grassy area, a still-burning cigarette can spark a dangerous fire. On Dec. 2, 2010, the most devastating fire in Israel's history broke out in the Carmel Forest near Haifa; police originally believed the culprit to have been a still-burning cigarette.

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