Second-Hand Smoke

Cause and Effect Essay # 1697

Medical and Health

Second-Hand Smoke

A look at the effects and dangers of second-hand cigarette smoke.

1,400 words () | 8 sources | 2000 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the issue of second-hand smoke exposure and how it violates the rights of non-smokers. Through this examination, the paper shows some of the potential health hazards to non-smokers, and discusses what anti-smoking groups are doing to safeguard the rights of non-smokers.

From the Paper:

"A billboard sponsored by the California Department of Health Services shows a man with a cigarette in his mouth asking a woman, "Mind if I smoke?" She responds, "Care if I die?" (CDHS 5/97). Although the ad seems to be amusing, its message is very serious. As the Department points out, second-hand smoke is not only a health hazard to smokers, it poses health problems to those who share the same environment with those who smoke. This assumption has been proven in countless studies. In recent weeks, the media has presented the findings of researchers from Harvard, UC San Francisco, and the Center for Disease Control that conclusively determine that cigarette smoking poses health threats for non-smokers that are almost as great as for those who smoke. Anti-smoking groups theorize that non-smokers experience an increase in heart disease, respiratory problems, and high blood pressure because of their exposure to secondhand smoke. The argument that presents itself is that smoking is not just a bad habit that is a health hazard to smokers; secondhand tobacco smoke impacts the lives of non-smokers, too."