Clearing The Air

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

AWOL

What a hypocrite, I've been yelling at the Attic contributors for not writing anything, and then I haven't posted anything myself in nearly a week.

Since that time I have been quoted in a Pioneer Press article regarding the smoking ban, and fuming about the fact that the author didn't use any of the facts I provided him. Talk about being taken out of context....the facts I presented to the author weren't taken at all. Here's my contribution in the article:

"Nobody argues that smoking isn't bad," said Mark E. Wernimont, a distributor for Smokeeter Air Cleaning Systems, the equipment used to gobble up smoke in such local restaurants as Applebee's and TGI Friday's. "But the question is, does secondhand smoke constitute a public health risk?" Wernimont asked rhetorically.

Yet here are the facts I gave the reporter:

The OSHA parameters for acceptable limits of nicotine exposure is .0005 grams per cubic meter (g/cu .M.) The City of St. Louis Park conducted an air quality study in 19 bars and restaurants in its jurisdiction and the median level of exposure was .0000033g/cu. M. This is roughly 150 times below the federally mandated level for safety. (Full details of this study can be found at my web site: http://fightcityhall.net/_wsn/page2.html.)

Clearly, given the facts which weren't included in the article, my "rhetorical" question is answered with a resounding NO, secondhand smoke does not constitute a public health risk; answered and proven by the City of St. Louis Park Environmental Health Dept. and OSHA guidelines.

The pio press has promised to publish a letter to the editor in response. Hat tip to my new editor St. Paul (1st brew on me Thurs.) I won't publish the letter here now, but will after published in the Pio Press, then you will all marvel at the wisdom that is St. Paul. (keep in mind 200 words max.)