Smoking Sophie Lee Writing-Period 6 March16, 2009

Transcription

1 Smoking Sophie Lee Writing-Period 6 March16, 2009

2 Cigarettes have numerous toxic materials in them. A few of these are, acetone that is found in nail polish remover; ammonia found in toilet cleaner,;arsenic that is found in rat poison; cadmium found in batteries and oil paint; formaldehyde that is found in embalming fluid to preserve dead bodies; and many more. In total, cigarettes have 4,000 chemicals in them, all of which are very unhealthy and toxic (Connelly). Smoking not only hurts the smoker but anyone who is present while cigarettes are smoked. Smoking should be banned from areas where people are exposed to the effects of second-hand and third-hand smoke. This will not only save thousands of lives, but it will have a positive influence on the economy as well. Second and third-hand smoke are the causes of thousands of illnesses each year. Illnesses that are due to second and third-hand smoke cost taxpayers billions of dollars a year because a large portion of American s tax dollars goes to funding Medicare and Medicaid. If smoking was not allowed in public the number of people who take up smoking would decrease because they would not have the influence of seeing smoking in their everyday lives. Second and third-hand smoke is responsible of thousands of deaths a year. Second-hand smoke exposes innocent people to the hazardous toxicants that are deposited from burning tobacco. Second-hand smoke, also known as passive smoking, causes 150,000 to 300,000 cases of lower respiratory track infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia. Also, if a child is subjected to second-hand smoke they have a higher chance of suffering from asthma, and infants have a higher chance of succumbing to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (US Treasury Dept). Second-hand smoke produces many illnesses that are extremely harmful to passive smokers. It is completely unfair that non-smokers still have to deal with the health issues that smoking causes. Third-hand smoke is the smell and residue that clings to a person s body and any surface

3 area around were a cigarette was smoked. It contains heavy metals and toxic compounds and is very dangerous. Children are most affected by this because they spend more time on the ground and in contact with the areas where third-hand smoke is deposited. Many people are unaware of the awful effects it has on non-smokers (Flatow and Winickoff). Consequently, countless people that do not even live with smokers are now subjected to third-hand smoke because it is everywhere a cigarette has been smoked. It is definitely becoming more of a problem to the public because so many are affected by smoking. It is estimated the 35,000 people that die from heart disease were non-smokers that lived with smokers. Also, about 3,000 lung cancer deaths a year are non-smoking adults. Other health problems from second and third-hand smoke in nonsmokers are: chest discomfort, reduced lung function, coughing, and mucus. In children it is also common for them to get middle ear infections and suffer from serious asthma cases (American Cancer Society). As a result of being around smokers, side stream smokers suffer from many of the same health problems as smokers. Smokers take others lives to have the pleasure of smoking which should definitely not be allowed. Second and third-hand smoke have deadly toxins in them that are very bad for the body, and they can easily kill a person that is a victim of them. Large amounts of people die prematurely because of second-hand smoke. Smokers should not be allowed to smoke in public because it is only hurting others, and it is completely unfair to the innocent bystanders around a burning cigarette. The effects of smoking subsequently cost Americans hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Seven percent of all health care costs are for treating smoke related diseases and illnesses. Cigarettes have a high tax on them, an abundant amount of the money goes to smokers healthcare from those taxes. However, the tax on cigarettes does not cover all the needed funding for the healthcare of smokers, so the rest is taken from taxpayers money ("Leading

4 Issues: Smoking"). With so much money and lives going to waste, smoking is not worth it. Huge amounts of money being spent on health care for smokers and the non-smokers that are sickened from second and third hand smoke, it is a huge waste. The people who have made the better decision to not smoke still have to deal with not only paying for it but also putting up with the effects of second and third-hand smoke. The cost of smoking in the United States is extremely high: $167 billion is spent yearly; $92 billion in productivity losses from deaths and $75.5 billion in health-care expenditures (Morbidity and Mortality). America is wasting money on smoking. This money could be used for the more important needs of the U.S., instead of on the deadly outcome of smoking. Tobacco companies spend large amounts of money on advertising their products. In 1998, 6.9 billion dollars were spent on advertising, in 2000, 9.6 billion dollars were spent, in billion dollars were spent, in billion dollars were spent, and in 2003, 15.1 billion dollars was spent by tobacco companies on advertisement. (Egendorf 58). Tobacco companies spent billions of dollars to promote a life-threatening product. These advertisements can be very persuasive and are responsible for getting people hooked on cigarettes. The tobacco companies obviously do not care about the health of their customers, and they only want money. If smoking was not allowed in public, not as many people would get sick form second and third-hand smoke so healthcare costs would decrease. Therefore, tobacco companies should not be allowed to target the open public as a place to advertise. Thus, if people are not allowed to smoke in public and advertisers are not allowed to promote their deadly product in public, not as many people would be influenced to start smoking and tax dollars would be saved. By not allowing people to smoke in public, it will decrease the amount of people who become smokers from the influence of others. Teens, who watch movies with smoking in them,

5 are three times more likely to smoke than teens that do not. Smoking is in more than eighty percent of PG-13 movies. Teenagers whose favorite star smokes are sixteen times more likely to smoke. Movies are the reason for fifty-two percent of new smokers (Egendorf). This shows how easily people are persuaded to smoke by the media. Towns that have restaurants with smoking bans have proven that teenagers who live there are less likely to smoke, unlike towns where there are not smoking bands ("Smoking Not So Cool"). As a result of no smoking laws in restaurants, it has already been shown that it does reduce the number of new smokers. If more restaurants become non-smoking, it will stop the chain reaction that is happening. People see smokers in public and are interested in trying smoking, and before they know it they are addicted. Advertisements in classrooms have proven to influence kids not to smoke (Egendorf). This illustrates how well advertisements can impact a person s decision. If the public continues to advertise no smoking, then more people will make the better decision to not smoke. This illustrates how well advertisements can impact a person decision. Second and third-hand smoke have shocking health effects on passive smokers, smoking cost the United States thousands of dollars a year, and the tobacco companies are allowed to advertise in public which get many people into smoking cigarettes. Therefore, smoking should be outlawed in public places. This will protect others from the toxic materials that cigarettes give off and also save the America a lot of money. With cigarettes being smoked openly in public, many others are persuaded to try smoking. People who try smoking become addicted and are caught up in the never ending cycle of smoking. Smoking has overall a negative impact on the public, and it would only be beneficial to the citizens of America is smoking was only allowed in the privacy of a smokers own home.