Secondhand smoke causes lung cancer and other health problems. The EPA estimates that secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths and 37,000 heart disease deaths in nonsmokers each year.A friend who has had his grandchild in the hospital 3 times already (she is 4 months old) has had her tested and found she is suffering from the second hand smoke of her parents. She now has respiratory and asthmatic problems.
"Magistrates John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin examined Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne in the meeting house in Salem Village. Tituba confessed to practicing witchcraft.
"Over the next weeks, other townspeople came forward and testified that they, too, had been harmed by or had seen strange apparitions of some of the community members. As the witch hunt continued, accusations were made against many different people.
"Frequently denounced were women whose behavior or economic circumstances were somehow disturbing to the social order and conventions of the time.[my emphasis] Some of the accused had previous records of criminal activity, including witchcraft, but others were faithful churchgoers and people of high standing in the community."
On average, it takes a male smoker over 50 pack years to develop lung cancer. Only 5% of ever-smokers will contract lung cancer, at all.
At the most, people exposed to second-hand smoke inhale the equivalent of 1% of the smoke inhaled by a smoker.
Therefore, on average, it would take over 5,000 pack years for a non-smoker exposed to SHS to contract lung cancer. For a female non-smoker, it would take a significantly lower 3,700 pack years.
There is most certainly a witch-hunt going on in 2002, and those pursuing it are just as stupid as the 17th Century residents of Salem.
Sorry RBA, I have seen you post before and you seemed to be a reasonable person, but as far as you insisting on second hand smoke as a great danger you are incorrect, and you have fallen into the trap of the discredited EPA.
I truly am sorry your frind has lung cancer, but she is 78, and the older we get, the more chance of developing a cancer......... any kind of cancer.
I read a little piece yesterday, it was a comparison of smokers v non-smokers, although they could prove differences in lifespan and increased cancer risk, the risk of cancer to smokers is 3%, so how in the world can second hand smoke rate as high as you and the EPA claims.
EXCUSE ME! But the Federal Court threw out that 1993 EPA's study in 1998. Funny, isn't it, how that doesn't make the news. And funny isn't it, how people like you still believe it. Once an anti always an anti....