Smoking in Chicago? (restaurants, dangerous, bars)

[Costa Rica Chica]

You're kidding, right? And I thought it was common knowledge that second hand smoke is even more harmful than actually smoking. I'd google some links for you, but I don't feel like it. (you could start at the American lung assoc., but somehow I doubt you will.) Because your mom smoked all over you and you and she are healthy make you the exception, not the rule. So when you smoke and you endanger my life, my rights trump your rights to harm yourself.

[myrc60]

As I said earlier, there is no happy medium here. Do not make this a me vs you thread or it will get closed.

[aragx6]

There has been plenty shown about the harmful effects of second-hand smoke, no doubt about that.

What there has never been is one study that showed harmful levels of second-hand smoke inhalation from the outdoors.

Not even the ACS or American Lung can show that (even though they've spent gobs of money trying to)

It's also important to note that the vast majority of second hand smoking deaths occur from living with a smoker.

Also the notion that second-hand smoking is more dangerous than actually smoking is one of the funnier things I've heard in a long while!!

3,400 non-smoking adults die from lung cancer per year (and not all of those have anything to do with smoking) and 440,000 people total die from smoking related lung cancer each year.

Which one sounds more dangerous to you? LOL

[Costa Rica Chica]

Ok, I didn't mean to start this thread as a means to gripe about smoking, just to state that I was surprised at how many people I saw smoking in the streets downtown. I respect smokers' rights to smoke, just as long as I don't have to breathe it.

I just want to post some data about second-hand smoke, as I don't think the dangers to nonsmokers are taken very seriously sometimes.

ABC News: Secondhand Smoke More Dangerous Than Believed

The study followed more than 2,000 nonsmokers for 20 years.
Instead of simply asking study participants how much secondhand smoke they were exposed to both at home and at work, this study measured how much smoke they were actually breathing.
Researchers checked their blood for levels of cotinine, a byproduct of nicotine found only in tobacco smoke.
"What they found is that those individuals who had cotinine in their blood stream, but who were not smokers, had a much greater risk of heart attacks," Fiore said.

From America Lung Association
Secondhand Smoke Fact Sheet - American Lung Association site (http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=35422 - broken link)

[SIZE=2]Secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,400 lung cancer deaths and 22,700-69,600 heart disease deaths in adult nonsmokers in the United States each year.[/SIZE][SIZE=2]4[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]

The current Surgeon General’s Report concluded that scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Short exposures to secondhand smoke can cause blood platelets to become stickier, damage the lining of blood vessels, decrease coronary flow velocity reserves, and reduce heart rate variability, potentially increasing the risk of heart attack.[/SIZE][SIZE=2]15[/SIZE]

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Costa Rica Chica

Ok, I didn't mean to start this thread as a means to gripe about smoking, just to state that I was surprised at how many people I saw smoking in the streets downtown. I respect smokers' rights to smoke, just as long as I don't have to breathe it...

Well the fricken state should allow for places indoors for only smokers to go into;thus you would not have to breathe as much smoke outdoors. You can just inhale the pollution from cars and factories instead. You know you can get lung cancer from many other things than cigarette smoke.

[myrc60]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

Well the fricken state should allow for places indoors for only smokers to go into;thus you would not have to breathe as much smoke outdoors. You can just inhale the pollution from cars and factories instead. You know you can get lung cancer from many other things than cigarette smoke.

Yes, they should have allowed for indoor places to smoke. The ozone hole has gotten a lot bigger since smokers have had to go outside to smoke. I don't know if there is a correlation but I can't see why there wouldn't be.

[JDubsMom]

Originally Posted by Costa Rica Chica

You're kidding, right? And I thought it was common knowledge that second hand smoke is even more harmful than actually smoking. I'd google some links for you, but I don't feel like it. (you could start at the American lung assoc., but somehow I doubt you will.) Because your mom smoked all over you and you and she are healthy make you the exception, not the rule. So when you smoke and you endanger my life, my rights trump your rights to harm yourself.

No it's not common knowledge which is why you pretend to not feel like "googling" factual information, because you know it doesn't exist. I'd love to see SOLID EVIDENCE of that. Although I'm sure it's merely an assumption on the part of control freaks who want to dictate and control the actions of others and all of the "googling" in the world will not undisputably confirm it.

As for my mother smoking "all over me" another one of your self righteous assumptions, since clearly that is not what I stated, nor was the case.

[mod cut]

Second, who said I smoked? I didn't and I don't . .? oh wait that's another one of your self righteous ASSumptions isn't it?

[Costa Rica Chica]

I guess you didn't bother to read my links posting facts from the American Lung Association, nor have you read my numerous threads talking about how much I love Chicago, even on the metra thread I was talking about how I really like it. You apparently took comments I made about not wanting to breathe in second hand smoke personally and turned the tone of this thread by personally attacking me. I'm sorry to everyone else that I played into that, certainly not my point.

That being said, I do agree that there should be designated restaurants and bars for smokers so that people could choose where to go.

[mstengle]

Right on JD's MOM!! I agree-too much control!! No- I don't smoke. But what's next-no automobile exhaust, no granite counter tops (supposed to emit as much toxins as second hand smoke)!!! Where does it end???!!!!!

[JDubsMom]

Originally Posted by Costa Rica Chica

I guess you didn't bother to read my links posting facts from the American Lung Association, nor have you read my numerous threads talking about how much I love Chicago, even on the metra thread I was talking about how I really like it. You apparently took comments I made about not wanting to breathe in second hand smoke personally and turned the tone of this thread by personally attacking me. I'm sorry to everyone else that I played into that, certainly not my point.

That being said, I do agree that there should be designated restaurants and bars for smokers so that people could choose where to go.

Look, at the end of the day the reality of the situation is the only place you can dictate the behavior of others is where you live and pay the bills. It's not what you said it's how you said it with smug superiority.

I didn't take anything you said personally except your nasty comment about my mother which again, purely one of your self righteous assumptions. Again, I DON'T smoke. I do feel that if other people want to smoke OUT DOORS on the streets (after all they PAY TAXES TOO), they have as much of a right to smoke whether you, I or anybody else likes it or not. What they do and if it results in cancer it's because of their personal choice and it is their business. Those who don't want to smell it outdoors should not come outdoors because it's not a controlled environment.

The PC control freaks and those wanting government to regulate everything is just way out of bounds these days.

You seem to think the rights of others should be trampled on to appease you, but it doesn't work that way . . . welcome to the real world.