In Reply to: no just self absorbed posted by mackas on Saturday, 30. December 2006 at 09:37 Bali Time:
In a democratic society why should I have to breath the chit that you smokers put into my air space. Take off the blinkers & absorb the folowing research & stop fooling yourself.
Passive smoking
Passive smoking means breathing in other people's tobacco smoke. A smoker's exhaled smoke is called exhaled mainstream smoke. The smoke drifting from their lit cigarette is called sidestream smoke. The combination of mainstream and sidestream smoke is called environmental tobacco smoke (ETS).
Most of the smoke that hangs in a room is sidestream smoke, which contains higher levels of cancer causing compounds than mainstream smoke. ETS is a common indoor pollutant. The fact that Australians spend about 90 per cent of their time indoors (on average) makes passive smoking a serious health hazard for both smokers and non-smokers.
Children are particularly at risk of adverse health effects from passive smoking. Workers in the hospitality industry are also at risk if they work in pubs and other enclosed spaces where patrons smoke.
Irritant effects
Tobacco smoke inside a room tends to hang in mid-air rather than disperse. Hot smoke rises, but tobacco smoke cools rapidly, which stops its upward climb. Since the smoke is heavier than the air, the smoke starts to descend. A heavy smoker who smokes indoors causes a permanent low-lying smoke cloud that other householders have no choice but to breathe.
Tobacco smoke contains around 4,000 chemicals, made up of particles and gases, about 60 of which are known to cause cancer. In 1992, the United States Environmental Protection Authority classified environmental tobacco smoke as a Group A carcinogen - one that causes lung cancer in humans. Compounds such as ammonia, sulphur and formaldehyde irritate the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. These compounds are especially harmful to people with respiratory conditions such as bronchitis or asthma. Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke can either trigger or worsen symptoms.