'Thirdhand' smoke beliefs linked to home smoking bans

I'm not an anti-smoking zealot. Although I don't smoke myself, I think it's possible for the regulations to go too far and crimp people's civil liberties (cigarettes, after all, aren't illegal). Still, my own pet peeve with respect to smokers and second hand smoke is outdoor smokers -- especially those who puff on a cigarette while walking down the street. There is nothing more obnoxious than being twenty or thirty paces behind a smoker who's walking in the same direction as you are down the street. It's disgusting. I'd personally like to see smoking on municipal property (such as streets and sidewalks) banned. People would still be able to smoke outdoors in their back yards, of course -- and that should be enough.

I can almost guarantee that you have done one or more of the following: talked on your cell phone while driving, walking, in the grocery store or anywhere else you go. That is far more annoying than walking behind someone smoking a cigarette. If you are going to start regulating what people can and cannot do in there homes, where does it end?
People need to get over themselves. Talking on your cell phone while driving is far more dangerous and annoying that someone who is smoking while walking down the street. If you don't like it, move to the other side. Get over yourself.

AMEN.. I get so angry i want to spit on them. How would they like it if i spit in the air 10 feet in front of them and it flew back and hit them in the face?!? Sure, its gross, but at least my spit doesn't cause cancer!!!!!!!

If you're walking down an urban street and you are worried about inhaling a few wisps of tobacco smoke...

"I'm not an anti-smoking zealot. Although I don't smoke myself, -----------There is nothing more obnoxious than being twenty or thirty paces behind a smoker who's walking in the same direction as you are down the street."

Lousio--I think you are an anti smoking zealot. What about the fumes on the SUV's driving down the street while you walking. Or the fumes coming up out of the sewage drains in the city. What's shocking is that you want to stop people from smoking outside. This whole anti-smoking thing has gone WAY TOO FAR--Now that it has been effectively banned everywhere you want to relegate people to their back yards. Wait til someone start coming after legal thinkg you do. It's Tyranny of the Majority and people need to midnd ehir own business.

I wont let my kids visit houses that have smokers. Its gross and I certainly dont want them in that environment. Can you imagine snuggling up to your 6-month old and anticipating that fresh baby smell and instead smelling stale cigarettes? It is quite a debate between my husband and I but I wont allow it.

I completely agree with Louisio.
My philosophy on such legislation is as follows:
A law, to me, works when it benefits the well-being of those around the person in question (i.e., nonsmokers in public) but does not limit their rights to smoke in the privacy of their own home. I felt this way when I watched the Washington State smoking ban go into effect. I don't smoke, and am in fact quite sensitive to tobacco. I understand the health risks, but I could not support a law such as a tobacco sales ban, since, while a public health measure, is taking it a little too far. Education and responsibility, such as knowing not to smoke when pregnant or with children, is most important.

I would like to see real science on other forms of air pollution that children are exposed to: car pollutants, industrial, etc.. Funny how we never see real data on this. I bet we will find it is just as dangerous as cigarette smoke. Wonder how many are willing to give these up? Probably not too many. Too inconvenient.

Wow. What a bunch of hothouse orchids human beings are turning out to be.

Perhaps it's best the evolution wheel spin once again -- maybe an asteroid strike -- and creatures less fearful and delicate than us once again dominate the Earth.

I do not smoke, and I hate smoke.

...but what sort of study is this? "about two-thirds of nonsmokers agreed that thirdhand smoke could hurt their children" !?!?

Who cares what random uninformed people "feel" is the truth?

Thank God we don't lose our minds from being near idiots

The thing that disgusts me is seeing people driving with their kids and smoking...many times with the window cracked just enough to knock off the ash...really, you think that's helping at all? These are the same idiots who have kids with a constant cough and blame it on something else. I've seen it first hand, and smokers are either too stupid, or ignorant, to care.

Louisio, I hate to think what you would consider zealoutry if you're not an anti-smoking zealout.

This article and your comments portray how insane our world has become. Personally, I find the insanity of this protectionist trend terrifying. Anyone who thinks that someone can be harmed because someone smoked in a room "the day before" has alot bigger issues to worry about than, well, anything. Same for someone smoking "twenty paces" ahead of you. You might as well worry about cancerous space rays reaching you from planet X.

Yeah, Louisio, you are... an anti-smoking zealot. Ban smoking on city streets? As you admit, cigarettes are legal. Smokers pay an exorbitant tax on the product. The streets are for ALL taxpayers and no line exists at personal annoyances. In a civil society you cope. Otherwise at what and whose arbitrary line do we stop regulating "annoyances." You all screamed, "Can't you just smoke outside!!" at smokers. We're outside. And still you whine. There is apparently no compromise that intolerants will accept. Not even in our backyards where cities in CA are banning it there too.

As for this so-called "study"...
Activist scientists producing agenda driven results. No more, no less. If the witchhunt du jour was, say, hair spray you'd be hearing "study" results that claim you're killing your kids by spraying your hair. The goal is a "smoke-free society" and they'll stop at nothing, including the perversion of science and the exploitation of "for the children," to advance the anti-smoker cult's mission. If humankind were this fragile, we would have become extinct shortly after the discovery of fire.

Founder, NYC Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment

Oh how generous of you Louisio, to ''allow'' people to smoke in their back yards! And you claim you're not an anti-smoking zealot ? A few whiffs of second hand smoke should be the least of your worries when walking down the street unless of course you avoid neighborhoods with woodburning stoves, barbecues, car fumes, diesel exhaust, smog... oh wait...I should have asked whether the streets you walk are those deep in the woods where you go to visit the Little Red Riding Hood's grandma ! Sheeeesh.....

I have no problem with people smoking outside away from others. I do however have a problem when people smoke indoors, and especially when I see people smoking in cars with little kids in the car. That is just thoughtless and selfish. You'd thnk that these people could smoke before or after their little cross town trip.

I am social smokers and my wife keep telling me not to smoke indoor, I will stop that. I only smoke one a day or sometime not even one.. But I would smoke more when I hang out with friends and have couple beers.... this is bad right.. However, I don;t think that you want to stop people smoking on the street at all. I think you have a choice to stay away from street smokers. And Louisio, you are anti-smoking.....

I have come to finally realize that in fact I am going to die. It is quite upsetting to know that I will only have 80-90 years on the planet to quench my thirst for fast food, alcohol, and tobacco. I realize that the world will end for many of us within 15-20 yrs b/c of the devasting effects of gloabal warning, so if you are under 40 yrs old, then you could keep smoking b/c you won't be able to enjoy a full life anyhow, but if you are approaching ~50, then QUIT b/c then you might actaully live a full life, but without the benefit of social security. It is all a complex trade-off, but kids are doomed anyhow, so don't worry about them - I wouldn't even bother educating them. It only makes it that much worse to know what's going to happen.

How about the effects of secondhand stupidity? How about secondhand exhaust? How about secondhand drinking, such as electing a president whose brain was ravaged by alcohol? How about secondhand paint fumes, treated wood, carpet cleaners, aerosol sprays, perfumes, cosmetics, scotchguard...
As a smoker, I demand that people everywhere stop driving, painting, building, farting, and breathing when they've eaten garlic, or when they are so incredibly stupid and gullible that they fall for junk science like this "thirdhand smoke" BS. Then I'll quit smoking.

This is certainly beyond absurd but it is testament to the depth and breadth of anti-smoking's influence in today's culture. They have poisoned the well so completely and thoroughly that they can now publish abominations such as this and have it taken seriously by the public. Until recently, I honestly thought that the ramping up of outrageous claims would soon be seen through by all but the most placid of sheep but their may be no limit to the gullibility of the flock.

I wish the only concern in my life was if and when compete strangers smoked. I am concerned by other things like paying bills, my job, relationships, children and other small life matters. Maybe someday if I am really lucky I can be as smug as these people.
p.s
if I am ever that way please beat the sense back into me, I thank you in advance.

Michael J. McFadden, the author of. Dissecting Antismokers' Brains states the following about Third Hand Smoke: He analysed the data from the original study and asked for a e-mail response from the original researcher, which was never received. Michael states, "To absorb the equivalent of a single cigarette, if I read the figures correctly, one would have to lick clean all of the elements of ETS off of 900 square feet... roughly 150 living room tables. To absorb a cigarette's worth of ETS elements from all the dust in a houseyou would have to carefully collect all of the dust from about 5,000 square feet of surfaces and then eat it all.

I would agree with the fact that this article is ridiculous. They have pretty much taken away all rights for smokers here in Chicago. Personally many of my friends and I have made the shift towards e-cigs. The taste is decent, and I might as well stop killing myself slowly!! I'm not sure if anyone else on here uses these things, but I do love them. And I will admit I'm biased, as I smoke them and even joined Revelle. www.steamnicotine.com

Al Faunce, (#23), actually that data related only to Dr. Matt's original, and questionable, findings on nicotine. The latest article in the NY Times focused on the deadly threat to our children from Polonium 210, "the deadly radioactive element that was used to murder a Russian KGB agent" two years ago.

What the Times neglected to mention was that even if you had a kid who spent his entire day, every day of the year, licking 10 square feet of kitchen floor tile absolutely spic and span that it would take that kid roughly THREE TRILLION YEARS to get the doses that killed that KGB agent.

Since the universe is only ten billion years old, I think it was somewhat irresponsible for the Times to play that particular fear-mongering card. And it's been even more irresponsible of them to so far refuse to publish any of several letters I've seen (folks cc me on these things sometimes) that criticise their article.

Michael J. McFadden
Author of "Dissecting Antismokers' Brains"

All of you non-believers are lucky to be so heathly. I have had asthma attacks from secondhand smoke exposure at outdoor art fairs and concerts as well as from the stale smoke smell or what is now being called thirdhand smoke in motel rooms.

Are there any real problems in the world that need to be solved??? Give me a break. Third Hand Smoke....now there's junk science at it's apex. I wonder how much money these amazing doctors who discovered this unknown danger to us spent on their studies to discover it??? I wonder too how many of the researchers on this project smoke or live with a smoker? Did the researchers expose themselves to the third hand smoke or did they use some little doe eyed puppy who had no voice and no one to speak for them? Foolish....yup!!!

Everyday I see children with struggling to breathe from their asthma in the hospital whose hair, skin and clothing smell like an ash tray. Many of these children are too young to speak up and ask their families not to smoke in their homes and cars. Who will speak up for them to protect their developing lungs? I feel if parents receives the information on how damaging the 4,000 chemicals that burn in a cigarette is to their children's lungs they will always go choose to go outside to smoke. I have never met a smoking or non-smoking parent yet who has told me they want their children to smoke when they grow up. I am not asking anyone to quit smoking.......that is their choice...but please help children breathe easier.

This is my problem with smokers in public and in restaurants. They are infringing on my right to breathe clean air. Shouldn't non-smokers have the right to cigarette smokeless air? It's offensive and repulsive in a restaurant. What if I was to go up to the smoker and burp or fart in their face, that too is offensive and repulsive, but does NOT cause cancer. I infringed on their right for clean air also. But I would be kicked out of the restaurant or punched in the face on the sidewalk if I was to do this to a smoker. I think we should by canned odors that smell horrible and open them up in front of smokers' faces and see how they like the disgusting smells. Smoking and