By Janna Vanderyt Tebbs

It’s not news that smoking is bad for you. In fact, tobacco use causes more deaths each year than human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides and murders combined. On top of that, we’ve all heard the risks of second-hand smoke. Not only is it a nuisance, but second-hand smoke poses serious health risks such as cancer, lung disease and heart disease. That’s right – you don’t even have to smoke to endanger your health, you just have to be breathing near someone else who’s smoking.

Even in the face of such staggering statistics and increasing social pressures (more states are passing legislation to create smoke-free public places), roughly 43.4 million adults in America continue to smoke, putting their health and the health and comfort of others around them at risk. And as if we need it, here’s one more reason to heap onto the reasons-to-kick-the-habit pile: Smoking is bad for the environment!

What Happened to Give a Hoot?

If you watched TV in the ’80s, you likely recall the Give a Hoot – Don’t Pollute campaign targeting ne’er-do-well litterbugs. Woodsy Owl warned us of the dangers of pollution, charging it as both a personal and collective responsibility to end littering and save the environment. Nowadays, with global warming and environmental preservation taking center stage, Woodsy’s call to action is perhaps even more resonant.

People are more environmentally conscious these days than ever before: We recycle, we use fewer plastic water bottles, we even re-use our own grocery bags when we shop. And yet, we continue to toss cigarette butts wherever we please. Think the connection between cigarettes and the environment seems like a stretch? Consider these eye-opening statistics:

• Cigarette filters are specifically designed to accumulate toxins, and each cigarette butt can contain up to 60 known human carcinogens including arsenic, formaldehyde, chromium and lead – and that’s what people are tossing on our sidewalks and out their car windows.
• Cigarette butts are not biodegradable, and can take up to 15 years to break down.
• Fires started by cigarettes are responsible for more than $6 billion in societal costs and direct property damage, about 2,500 injuries and more than 1,000 deaths each year.
• Every year, an estimated 1.7 billion pounds of cigarette butts accumulate in lakes, oceans, on beaches and the rest of the planet.

You wouldn’t dump your garbage out your car window or drop it on the sidewalk, would you? So why cigarette butts? Let that ‘a-ha’ moment sink in fully before reading on …

Cars vs. Cigarettes: The Race for Most Polluting

tudies show that the air pollution emitted by cigarettes is 10 times greater than diesel exhaust.

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about air pollution and smog? Traffic? Airplanes? It’s true – those are sources of carbon emissions and other dangerous pollutants. But, recent increased market and political pressure to find alternative ways to fuel our planes, trains and automobiles at least has auto makers rising to the challenge (more or less) – more fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles that tout better gas mileage and fewer emissions (reportedly, 20 percent – 30 percent less than gasoline-powered cars) are showing up in ads and on our roadways in impressive numbers, and are even being heavily endorsed by environmentally aware celebrities. Yes, environmentally friendly has become trendy at last. And while green may not exactly be this year’s black, it’s certainly catching on.

But what about cigarette smoke? How could cigarette smoke even compare slightly to cars in terms of air pollution? If you can’t imagine what harm smoking a couple cigarettes while stuck in smog-producing, rush-hour traffic can do, consider this: Studies show that the air pollution emitted by cigarettes is 10 times greater than diesel exhaust.

It’s Not Just Blowing Smoke

While we all work to find clever and convenient ways to reduce our carbon footprints, one of the simplest solutions is right under our noses … literally. We should quit smoking! It may not be the easy thing to do, but perhaps it’s the right thing to do. It’s dangerous to our health, the health of those around us and even the health of the environment – what more reason do we need to quit?

If your answer is, “When I can’t afford it anymore,” you may want to reconsider. Early in his administration, President Obama passed a law raising taxes 39 cents to $1.01 per pack of cigarettes. If you smoke a modest three packs a week, you’re spending more than $60 more per year per pack in taxes alone. As our recession drags on, ask yourself if you could use an extra $60 in your pocket for something other than a pack of cigarettes.

The bottom line: Until they invent a non-carcinogenic, clean-burning, recyclable, free cigarette, maybe it’s time to kick the habit.

Sources: www.cdc.gov; www.mayoclinic.com; www.cawrecycles.org; www.foxnews.com; www.buzzle.com

Tags: Give a Hoot – Don’t Pollute, smoking

Friday, February 12th, 2010 | Health, Social |