Commentary misleading to readers, diverts attention from consequences of tobacco

submitted by D. Gordon Draves

February 12, 2007 —

The editorial, "Ban on tobacco would create double standard" has an outrageous statement. "Choosing to ban tobacco seems to give a nod of approval to alcohol." That's a stupid remark, but it was also very effective, diverting our attention away from secondhand smoke.

It's the tobacco lobbyists' most effective tool.

The editorial was a disservice to nonsmokers. It failed to warn how bad secondhand smoke can be.

The air in a smoky bar or car can be six times as polluted as standing next to a freeway at rush hour. Much of tobacco smoke particulates are 2.5 micrometers in size, which now is known to be the worst kind.

Thus, much is breathed deeper into the lungs and some can even pass into the bloodstream and go to all parts of the body.

Jason Wolverton made a big deal of drunk driving (and he should), for over 17,000 people die as a result of drunk driving each year.

However, how many innocents were killed by drunks?

That figure is about 3,500, and that means that the rest are drunks that only killed themselves.

Far more innocents die from secondhand smoke. "In 2005, it was estimated that exposure to secondhand smoke kills more than 3,000 adult nonsmokers from lung cancer, approximately 46,000 from coronary heart disease, and an estimated 430 newborns from sudden infant death syndrome." - from the Forward of The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke - A Report of the Surgeon General, June 2006.

That's 49,430 from just three diseases caused by secondhand tobacco smoke every year.

Is it fair that so many die just because those who need a nicotine fix poison the air that others breathe?

But Jason gets an "A" for effective use of smoke and mirrors.

D. Gordon Draves
President, Georgians Against Smoking Pollution