Introduction
Smoking in public places has been banned in most parts of the world. Some people smoke publicly simply because this is their personal lifestyles and individual choice on which they should not be victimized. However the right to smoke as one pleases could greatly be countered by another person’s lifestyle of the right to breathing smokeless air. Recent researches have shown that those who do not smoke are at risk of being exposed to the same carcinogens which are cancer causing as those who are active smokers and they smoke in public settings.
Core Problems
The environmental tobacco smoke is known to contain more than 4000 chemicals and at least 40 carcinogens that are known. The research has further indicated that the carcinogens are in higher concentrations in the second hand smoke rather than in the mainstream smoke which makes it more harmful for people to smoke publicly. This is because there are very harmful effects that follow on the smokers themselves and to those who inhale the second hand smoke. One of the major effects for smoking in public places is that it causes a higher risk of cancer, emphysema heart diseases and other acute and chronic diseases. Cigarette smoking is known to increase the aggregation of blood platelets or the clotting of blood. It also damages the endolithium a layer of cells in the blood vessels. Due to public smoking, the second hand smoke has been a triggering factor for the heart attacks and there have been an increased number of heart attack hospitalizations and even deaths from the smoke effects. For the smokers and the non smokers who inhale the fumes they are at a greater risk of developing heart diseases especially if one has high blood pressure. Another effect of smoking in the public places is that there are increased risks of fire break outs in the areas that have any explosive hazards or even where there is handling of flammable materials. Similarly when smokers smoke publicly they increase the risk of contamination in places where pharmaceuticals and foods are manufactured and prepared for human consumption.
On the other hand smokers litter around without considering the environmental effects and this causes the environment to be hazardous. Public smoking also affects the air quality in public establishments where some respirable suspended particles are released thus enhancing air pollution and also increasing the toxin exposure to human beings. Public smoking on the other hand has made many businesses to suffer directly or indirectly due to the loss of customers especially in establishments like hotels which encourage smoking in their premises. Public smoking similarly affects people from vulnerable groups such as the children, the pregnant women and also the disabled who are unable to choose their environments.
There is a more serious concern that the banning of a smoking in public places may lead to an increased rate of smoking in the homes and this could be more hazardous especially when there is the presence of small children. Passive smoke contains very strong sensitizers and irritants and many children as well as adults the suffer a lot of irritation and other acute effects when they are exposed to secondhand smoke.In addition to this there is increasing evidence that an individuals exposure to passive smoke can affect the cardiovascular system. (Scollo, 2003).
Conclusion
Smoking publicly has negative effects on the health of those who work in the public places especially the bars workers. On the contrary smoking in public places brings a sense of belonging and identity to those who smoke since they can easily identify with other public smokers in the public setting as they share similar habits. Public smoking needs to be controlled so as to reduce the negative effects that come as a result of the exposure of individuals to the fumes. (The New York Times, 2003).
Reference
Scollo, M. (2003): Review of the quality of studies on the economic effects of smoke-free policies on the hospitality industry. Tobacco Control, pgs 13-20.
The New York Times (2003): Bars and Restaurants Thrive Amid Smoking Ban, New York Times Archives.