Here in Ontario, we're getting mighty close to smoke-free everything. For me, that's great. But how are smokers going to react to this latest ban suggestion?
A representative of the Ontario Medical Association said Wednesday that it's time to ban smoking in cars where children are present and apparently, the public is heavily in favour of this.
Apparently such a ban was imposed in Bangor Maine on January 8, 2007 and many other communities are following the same path. And here's some of the facts quoted by Dr. Broadway that make such a ban imperative:
- A 2004 report by the OMA found that second-hand smoke is 23 times more toxic in a car than in a house.
- In cars you reach some of the highest toxic levels of these poisons that you reach anywhere
- Even very short exposure to second-hand smoke can trigger an asthmatic attack in children, while effects on lung health have a long-term impact.
And rolling down the windows isn't a solution: unless you roll down all four windows and have gale blowing through the car, it won't help diminish the effects on a child's health. So if the smoker is alone and wants to poison him/herself, go for it. But when there are others, especially children in that car, why do you choose to poison them.
So what do you think? Should this ban be imposed or not? Are we removing more of the smokers' "rights" by doing so? I know where I stand: Our children are our future. If they are raised in smoke-filled cars and smoke-filled homes, they won't have to worry about what to do in their old age. They most likely won't have one.
