nicotne pollution

Andrew Harrison-Cantrell acantr at earthlink.net
Thu Jan 23 15:00:31 PST 2003


I'm inclined to agree with the cries of "whiner!" and "madness!" raised about banning smoking in public places, especially bars. After all, what's a bar for if not to poison yourself and have a damn good time while doing so? Ditto for non-smokers in bars: you know what you're getting into, so shut yer beerholes.

However, I find myself inclined to support such bans when I think about the years and years that the bartenders and servers in my favorite bars in Champaign and Milwaukee have spent inhaling smoke. Then it becomes less of a personal freedom issue and more of an occupational safety one. And, to be sure, one could argue that bartendeding and cocktail waitstaffing are high-turnover jobs, but a) I'd like to see numbers on that, so we can be sure and b) I'd like to see good research on what amount of exposure to second hand smoke, over what amount of time, increases risk for cancer and emphysema, and aggravates asthma, allergies, etc. -- I'd not be surprised if second-hand smoke is more dangerous than we might think.

Andrew Harrison-Cantrell Organizer, Wisconsin Federation of Nurses & Health Professionals ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------- "To speak a true word is to transform the world"



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