Public smoking is one of the most common habits in the world today. Smoking in public can be described as a habit whereby an individual is involved in smoking in places where there is a high concentration of people. Smoking is usually associated to various social, economic and cultural issues (CDC, 2014). One of the biggest concern that is attributed to smoking is the effect of the smoke to human health. The nature of public smoking is one of the aspects that dictates the perceptual, emotional and realistic position of the habit with regards to public health. Public smoking is a big public health hazard that has various economic, environmental, health and ethical issues and thus should be avoided.
According to GWADH (2014), the major constitution of cigarette smoke is tobacco. This substance is very toxic. This is because of its effects on human health. It is associated with the development of various medical conditions in human beings. The most common medical conditions include affecting the functionalities of various body organs like the lungs, liver and heart (CDC, 2014). This has made it one of the biggest killers in the world. The most common medical conditions associated with smoking includes cirrhosis, heart attack, asthma, cancer and stroke. The medical conditions are likely to lead to death or serious body disabilities on the smokers.
The CDC (2014) study indicates that smoking directly affects the active smokers. However, public smoking facilitates the passage of the second hand smoke into the air. High concentrations of the cigarette smoke in the air is very harmful to the health of the public. This is because the smoke can find its way into the respiratory system of the people in the surrounding and thus putting them at a risk of acquiring the infections that are related to the smoking. The presence of very many public smokers can lead to high levels of intoxication through the air that goes into the respiratory system (CDC, 2014).
Public smoking is one of the most unethical engagements. This activity leads to expulsion of cigarette smoke into the air. This makes very many people to inhale cigarette smoke unconsciously (Tobacco Free, 2014). Therefore, this is one of the activities that predisposes very many people to various health hazards without their will. This portrays high levels of disregard to public health issues. This is because one person can put the lives of very many people into danger by facilitating their intake of the cigarette smoke. This portrays lack of public moral standards. Exposing innocent people to health risks is a portrayal of lack of dignity to humanity.
The Tobacco Free (2014) report outlines that public smoking is very harmful to the environment. This is because it is detrimental to the environmental conservation initiatives. This activity is a contributor of foreign substances into the environment. Once released into the environment. This smoke mixes with other substances like dusts and other particles. This leads to a significant reduction of the quality of the air. This is one of the biggest contributors to air pollution. This can worsen the conditions of other people with asthma and other medical conditions. The presence of these in the air can cause a lot of discomfort and irritation to the eyes and the respiratory tract.
Public smoking violates the rights of the people to breathe smoke-free and clean air. Some of the people who are highly affected by the habit include the children and infants. Therefore, public smoking is an illegal activity and can lead to arresting and prosecution. As a result, very many countries and states across the world have formulated laws and policies that regulate public smoking. This is one of the proactive measures that can assist in controlling and mitigating this activity. Therefore, besides its effects on human health, public smoking can be considered a criminal offence (Smoke free Washington, 2014).
However, some people argue that smoking is a personal choice. Therefore, smokers should be allowed to have their pleasure wherever they need. This is because public smoking has been there so many ages and the non-smokers should avoid places where an individual is smoking. Further, the argument is based in the fact that there are very many substances in the air that are very toxic and can lead to various forms of health hazards. Thus, limiting public smoking is interfering with other people’s freedom and rights to have pleasure wherever they need.
Conversely, this argument does not validate the concerns that are associated with public smoking. This is because allowing an individual to have his personal pleasure should not interfere with the safety of many people. This is because allowing one person to engage in public smoking puts the lives and health of very people at stake. It is not possible for people to avoid a place where there is a public smoker. This is because there are children who not have the cognitive capability to determine the presence and the effects of public smoke (CDC, 2014). There may various toxic substances in the air, but there are various initiatives that are being carried to reduce them significantly and one of the most practical strategies is to avoid public smoking.
In conclusion, cigarette smoke is one of the biggest killers in the world today. This is because it is associated with causing various health conditions that are very dangerous. Public smoking is very dangerous to the lives of very many innocent people (GWADH, 2014). This is because through it, cigarette smoke is able to find its way into the body of an individual and thus leading to health hazards. This is also one of the biggest causes of air pollution. Therefore, public smoking is unfavorable to various social, economic and health aspects of human lives and should be mitigated.
- CDC. Health effects of Secondhand Smoke. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2014. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/health_effects/ accessed on 4th august 2014 at 0600hrs
- GWADH. Smoking In Public Places. Government of Western Australia Department of Health. 2014. Retrieved from http://www.tobaccocontrol.health.wa.gov.au/publicplaces/ accessed on 4th august 2014 at 0701hrs
- Smoke free Washington. Smoking in Public Places. Smoke Free Washington Publication. 2014. Retrieved from http://www.smokefreewashington.com/laws/smokinginpublic.php accessed on 4th august 2014 at 0520hrs
- Tobacco Free. Secondhand Smoke. US Department of Health and Human Services. 2014. Retrieved from http://betobaccofree.hhs.gov/health-effects/secondhand-smoke/index.html accessed on 4th august 2014 at 0615hrs.