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Reasons to Ban Cigarette Smoke

Smoking in public places has been banned or severely restricted in 25 states and in the District of Columbia as of October 1, 2009.

The U.S. Surgeon General's 2006 report states that smoke-free policies are the most economic and effective means of protecting and ensuring a healthy life for Americans. A major finding of the report states, "The scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to second-hand smoke."

  1. Second-hand Smoke

    • Environmental tobacco smoke or passive smoke mixes two streams of smoke with different properties: side-stream smoke and main-stream smoke. Every year in the United States, there are an estimated 46,000 deaths from heart disease, 3,400 deaths of lung cancer and between 150,000 and 300,000 lung infections in non-smokers caused by second-hand smoke.

    Third-hand Smoke

    • Third-hand smoke is defined by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services as the dangerous smoke that lingers in the air after the cigarette is out; what you can smell but not see. According to DHHS, third-hand smoke is also dangerous.

    Youth

    • Of the deaths attributed to second-hand smoke in the attorney general's report, 430 were newborns who died of sudden infant death syndrome.

      Exposing children to second-hand smoke causes respiratory problems and ear problems and slows lung growth.

    Causes

    • There are over 4,000 chemical compounds in tobacco smoke and 60 are known or suspected cancer-causing agents.

    Helps People to Quit

    • Smokers have more pleasure and reward receptors in the brain than non-smokers, and those receptors remind them to crave nicotine. Smoke-free policies have the added affect of changing our social attitudes toward tobacco smoking, rendering it a more socially unacceptable activity.

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