[Smokin' Joe]

Maybe it just documents the rise in catalytic converter equipped cars. Whatever comes out of those has made me nauseous at a single stoplight (while riding motorcycles). /kidding--or not.

Then, too, it might coincide with the use of carseats for chilren.

Maybe undetected byproducts emanated by CDs when the laser hits them.

Cell phone radiation

Soccer games

plastic in auto interiors

wall to wall carpeting

'manufactured' building material fumes

Gaia commanding the ragweed to make nastier pollen

Whatever the reason, it seems to me smoking has become the universal whipping boy for all the evils of our environment.

If it is so d@mned bad, just ban it and maybe we can quit seeing billions pi$$ed away annually on nonsense and the 'researchers' can get around to finding out what is making people sick.

One thing I have noticed, though. The drug companies must have passed out a few tons of samples last trip through town, 'cause virtually every doctor has been pushing that kids have "allergies". So I have to ask, has "Asthma" been redifined, like they did to AIDS to inflate the numbers??

[Old Professer]

Another interesting thing about this graph is that the numbers peaked in 1995; a Google search turned up 1,760,000 articles in 1994 on asthma, while 1995 had only 85,200 and 1996 jumped up to 3,310,000.

By contrast, a search on articles on breast cancer for 1995 turned up 9,670,000 articles while the cancer rate held stable.

[Quix]

Self-justification is such a wonderful magic carpet.

/sar