Are you fortunate to work in a smoke free environment? Today all restaurants in North Carolina are smoke free and they have taken this action since they know that second hand smoke is a known health hazard. The smoke that either comes from a smoker exhaling smoke or a cigarette burning in an ash tray gives off over 50+ toxins that can cause lung cancer, heart conditions and respiratory problems. Anyone exposed to second hand smoke is in danger since the route of entry for these toxic chemicals are the lungs. Our lungs are a large barrier in our body that lets the toxins enter through your lungs and cross over into our blood and then to the target organs affected.
We all know why health care facilities have chosen to go smoke free and we no longer have to designate whether we want to be seated at a restaurant where people still are allowed to smoke. It has been proven that even the best type of ventilation cannot stop the exposure to the hazards of second hand smoke and no smoking indoors is the only way to reduce exposure to second hand smoke.
Children that live in homes where smoking occurs, develop more respiratory infections and are more prone to asthma and SIDS.
Whenever a facility chooses to become smoke free, the employees working in these settings should be encouraged and rewarded if the enter and successfully complete the program and stop smoking. Do you car pool with someone who smokes during your commute? With gas prices that are so high today, car pooling makes alot of sense. Since second hand smoke harms us, we should find a way to discuss this topic with the smokers in the car pool. It is important that we are aware of all environmental health issues and understand the controls that are available to decrease toxic exposures to harmful substances that can affect our health. Second hand smoke is harmful and needs to be addressed at the workplace and at home. It is a known carcinogen with serious health consequences. Encourage your employer to offer a smoke free environment so that all of us can protect our health.
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