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Letter published in the Toronto Sun, 10 April 1999 To whom it may concern: So, the Megacity has it out for those lowly smokers who pollute bars and restaurants with their deadly (unproven) smoke. Lest we forget, the world is an enclosed space. Our tiny air bubble of a planet traps every particle released through natural or un-natural activities. Every vehicle, gas powered machine, and every smokestack churns out pollution that we, the people of this planet, eventually inhale, ingest or absorb. Every nuclear weapon detonated (over 2,500) and every nuclear reactor accident (over 200) spews deadly radioactive particles that float about our atmosphere and eventually rain back down on us to become an integral part of our being. A few years ago, a study found that nearly 1% of air pollution over Los Angeles consisted of tobacco smoke. The study, of course, was focusing on how bad tobacco smoke was and how much of it was accumulating in the atmosphere. If you simply reverse the figure, you will see that 99% of the airborne pollutants were NOT tobacco smoke! Just what chemicals that significant other 99% of pollution contains is not getting the attention it deserves. Are we expected to believe that eliminating smoking indoors is going to greatly improve our quality of life? We all breathe 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Eliminating what some people inhale once in a while in restricted areas will do little to affect the real issues. Being smoke-free does not constitute being pollution free. We are in danger of creating a society filled with see-no-evil feel good types that blindly march to the beat of people who wouldn't know a health hazard if it bit them. Leave the smokers alone and stop using them as scapegoats for a sick planet. Check the cancer and heart disease numbers again and subtract those "attributed" to smoking and try to figure out what's causing them. Don't be surprised if you find a common factor in all cancer deaths. It's right there in front of you, and it's NOT second-hand smoke! Mark Pellow, Mississauga |
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