Posted on 01/28/2005 1:50:34 PM PST by SheLion
Just how harmful is environmental tobacco smoke?
Not as harmful as the Environmental Protection Agency or those anti-secondhand smoke commercials would have one believe, according to Roger A. Jenkins, Ph.D., consultant to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Chemical Sciences division.
Jenkins presented "Human Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke: Is What You See What You Get?" at ORNL this week.
"Some people wish I didn't have the findings I have," Jenkins said. "Others say, 'Gee, if this is true, why does the EPA continue to talk about this?' [The research] steps on people's toes, and that's exactly what I want it to do."
Environmental tobacco smoke is a highly diluted mixture of sidestream (70 to 90 percent) and exhaled mainstream (10 to 30 percent) of tobacco smoke.
"'Secondhand' smoke is probably misleading, since most ETS is derived from smoke which is emitted by the smoldering firecone of a cigarette," Jenkins said.
According to Jenkins, the typical smoker inhales 480 milligrams of smoke a day and 32 milligrams of nicotine per day. In a home where smoking is unrestricted, the typical non-smoker will inhale the equivalent of .45 milligrams of smoke particles and .028 milligrams of nicotine.
There are several science-related hurdles to overcome in educating the public about ETS, Jenkins said. The first is getting the public to understand the difference between personal beliefs and science.
"In a society where there are still serious debates about evolution, this can be a real challenge," he said.
The second is avoiding the "means justifying the end syndrome," which Jenkins says involves the distortion of science in the name of preventing youth from smoking.
The third major hurdle is demanding "public policy types" provide perspective for the facts they declare.
"Sure, there are 43 carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) in ETS, but there are also probably about 40 carcinogens in diesel exhaust and wood smoke," Jenkins said.
Indoor air pollution is also caused by many things other than non-tobacco sources, including cleaning, cooking, consumer products like Raid and wood burning.
"As (physician) Paracelsus said in the early 1500's, 'the poison is in the dose,'" Jenkins said. "We still continue to eat lettuce and take showers despite their carcinogens. Life is risky business."
Jenkins is simply remaining true to his profession by bringing forth this politically incorrect information, he says.
"When you start tinkering with science because you want to achieve some political aim, you are no longer a scientist."
Jenkins retired in September from his position as leader of the Environmental Chemistry and Mass Spectrometry Group in the Chemical Sciences Division at ORNL. He has authored or co-authored more than 45 open literature publications in the area of field analytical chemistry and tobacco smoke characterization and human exposure. He is the lead author of "The Chemistry of Environmental Tobacco Smoke: Composition and Measurement," Second Edition.
Jenkins has also acted as an expert witness in several high-profile litigations involving environmental and mainstream tobacco smoke composition and exposure
I have made the same kind of comments myself. Just because I smoke doesn't mean I Like smoke in my eyes.
Ditto to their rest of your post. And nagging when it has no chance to effect them (like when you are outside and far, far away from them).
And I will enjoy some good old 2nd hand smoke and coffee! Take care my friend! I might even ax you for a drag...;-)
Hey, where's a nice nose shot of Henry Nostrilitis Waxman??!
LOL! That's true enough. But then again, Christy Turlington is a big anti-smoking crusader, and she was a supermodel.
*shrugging*
When I was a kid (before the Civil War) the prevailing thought was that if you couldn't trust our government and our leaders, who could you trust?
Now, we know if you trust our government and our leaders you really need to try to hitch a ride on Halle Bopp the next time it comes around.
LOL, good job!
But "some" have driven the campaign against private property rights, vis a vis businesses that allow smoking.
but still obnoxious as hell.
And there's the crux.
Property rights be damned, the give and take of what's left of a free society be damned, a poo-poo smell all of this
Why don't you people grow up?
Very similar scenarios (for nonsmokers).
ROFL!!
You're ridiculous!
Let's have that list of non-smokers who lived forever
I have always loved the smell of a clean man with after shave and the hint of tobacco on him. I am going to have a T Shirt made:
I LOVE A MAN WHO SMOKES!!
You're full of chit. I have spent a lot of in tanning booths, and I smoke. And my skin is practically wrinkle free!
And I DON'T have yellow snaggly teeth either. And I don't stink. Where do you hang out? The east end of town where the cracks heads are? You're unbelievable buddy.
This is a very valid report. So you hate smokers. Tough!
Stay away from us then.
But take a little open-mindeness, if you have one, and read this report. It might open your eyes a little.
You can't tell them nothing! The have blinders on. The hate smokers and that's just how it is. They have their FREE Republic minds made up.
Apparently not to everybody, if you read the posts on this thread.
That's great for you Tom. Just don't get nasty about it. hehe!
I am sure you have read some posters in here that are absolutely BITTER about having to quit and then they come into our smoking threads and bash and trash us.
I doubt if you will ever do that though, TomGuy. You have always been a nice guy!!
Yes, they do have on blinders. I just wish we could have an honest discussion about it (I know it's asking for too much)!
Yes, Joe, but as you can read by some our most illustrious posters in here, they STILL don't believe it and they will ALWAYS hate people who smoke.
I'd rather meet a smoker in a dark alley any day then a terrorist. But these hateful anti's think that we are STILL the worst on earth.
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