Second-Hand Smoke

          Smoking is public is one of biggest my pet peeves. I have no problem with someone who chooses to smoke; it's their life and they are free to make their own choices. I do have a problem when someone's decisions affect others in a negative way and against their will. Smoking bothers me when a person smokes in crowded public places, especially with small children. Second-hand smoke is real! Second-hand smoke is when smoke is inhaled involuntarily from tobacco being smoked by others. It is not fair to force the effects of tobacco on others. Second-hand smokes contains more than 70 toxic chemicals that are known to cause cancer. Ear infections, respiratory infections, and more frequent and severe asthma attacks are just some of the effects on children. It can cause lung cancer and heart disease to people who have chose not to smoke. During 2011-2012, and 58 million nonsmokers were exposed to second-hand smoke. About 3,000 adults die of lung cancer caused by second-hand smoke. It contains 50 times as much ammonia, twice as much nicotine and tar, and 5 times as much carbon monoxide per unit volume as does smoking directly from a cigarette. In 2014, about half the children between ages 3-18 in the US were exposed to cigarette smoke regularly. Smoking, ore using and harmful substance, while pregnant is even worse. How can you put your child in harm at its most fragile state it will ever be in? Just being in contact with second-hand smoke while pregnant makes babies more vulnerable to miscarriage, stillborn birth, low-birthrate, and other pregnancy-related problems. If someone chooses to smoke, I think they should be considerate and not do it around others who have chose not to put themselves at risk by smoking. Smoking is your decision, not everyone else's. When you smoke in public, you're putting everyone around you at risk. Is a cigarette that important?

                                                                                   -Samantha Lyles