First Hand Response to Secondhand Smoke

  First Hand Response to Secondhand Smoke

 

     Almost everyone hates working. I am absolutely one of those people. When I open the window and get choked by the smoke from cigarettes, it doesn't really help my day. I can't say I appreciate it being blown in my face. I don't smoke for a reason. I've seen the side effects like money problems, job loss, and even cancer that people go through because of their addiction. Both my grandfathers have passed, one from a heart attack and one from multiple cancers, including lung cancer. They were avid smokers and died prematurely.

     I'm not telling you to not smoke. "To each his own" right? I'm just saying, please keep it to yourself. There are multiple reasons one might begin smoking It may clear your mind and calm you down. Smoking may help you feel as if you fit in. It could possibly even give you a rush that makes you feel dangerous and exciting. Please be informed, though, that smoking has caused infertility, strokes, various cancers, and in its most serious cases, death.



      According to Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society, it's been shown that towns making laws limiting public and workplace smoking see a decrease in heart attack rates within one year of enacting the laws. Less bystanders are being exposed to the smoke. Those who escape the harms the smoke causes lessen their chances of dying earlier in life.


       Listen, I know McDonalds is not the fanciest place in the world. However, we're still human. Workers shouldn't have to suffer because of your choices. Secondhand smoke harms everyone. No matter tall or short, slender or bulky, young or old, the smoke impairs all those around. Statistics say:

• About 46,000 deaths of current non-smokers are caused by heart disease
• Secondhand smoking causes about 3,400 lung cancer deaths in non-smoking adults
• When exposed to SHS, nonsmokers increase their chances of developing lung cancer by 20% to 30% and heart disease by 25% to 30%
• More than 40% of kids who enter the hospital for severe asthma attacks live with smokers.

        Something most people do not think about is thirdhand smoke. This is the smoke that stays in a room and on clothes even after the smoking is done.  It stays on your surpurb slacks. It clenches to your classy coats. It secures itself in your shirts. It may seem like there is just an offensive smell in the room, there are actually toxins polluting the air. In the 2006 Surgeon General's Report, it stated that there isn't a safe level of exposure to smoke. This shows that when you smoke in public, you put yourself, those around you, and even those who will come around the space later on, in danger.



      Again, all I'm asking is for you to please keep your smoking in the privacy of your own home or property. If you really do choose to smoke, do as you will. However I've educated myself on what the consquences are and believe it's best for me to avoid any sort of contact with it. Therefore when you come through my drive-thru, put your cigarette out. Thank you.