Clearing The Air

American Cancer Society catches the Surgeon General in an outright lie...

The Surgeon General showed up very regal looking to provide a press release rehashing the tired old argument that secondhand smoke is deadly and must be banned. And with his next statement:

Separate "no smoking" sections DO NOT protect you from secondhand smoke. Neither does filtering the air or opening a window.

It seemed a feeble attempt to pre-empt any action short of a total smoking ban.....as if to confirm that pro-smoking ban activists' credibility in the public is failing miserably.

Well I am sorry to report that the American Cancer Society conducted air quality testing at several smoking venues which prove the Sugeon General flat out wrong.



Take a look at the above table, do you see the 20 reading? It represents a restaurant with an enclosed (separate) smoking area. And the 20 is actually 20 nanograms, a nanogram is 10 (-9).

So......let me put a number to that nanogram for you: 0.000000020 of a gram/cubic meter was the secondhand smoke concentration for the restaurant with the enclosed smoking area. Which is 25,000 times SAFER than OSHA regulations for the secondhand smoke measured airborne component. Thus the American Cancer Society destroys the Surgeon General's and RWJF (Nicoderm) funded James Repace argument that separation and ventilation don't work.

The Surgeon General can stomp his feet, and scream at the top of his lungs...like a little Napoleon "....because I said so....." all he wants. But it doesn't change the facts........and the facts show he is telling a bold faced lie to the American public.

UPDATE: The above post was later referenced in "The Free Republic" and "The United Pro Choice Smoker's Rights Newsletter" and "Forces" ......where you can find additional information.

http://www.cato.org/pubs/regulation/regv30n1/v30n1-5.pdf

posted by marcus aurelius @ 7:19 AM