Second Hand Smoke

Admittedly, some Americans may resist this notion because they see any curtailment of freedom as a dangerous governmental intrusion, but in fact there are good reasons for such intrusion when it will prevent death and disease, as would be the case with a ban on smoking in public places. It is also true that the regulation of risk has been applied to a large number of environmental hazards and other perceived hazards in the home and the workplace, with varying results, and that the people have accepted these regulations as necessary by and large. Both the government and the people have shown considerable interest in having the government serve as watchdog over certain specific hazards, and probably no perceived hazard has been addressed so assiduously or with such success as smoking. American society has changed over the last three decades from a society accepting of smoking to a society tolerant of smoking to a society antagonistic to smoking and openly intolerant of it. This process has also entailed a change in emphasi

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moking women, as well as the higher prevalence of fetalgrowth retardation, prematurity and low birth weight among their children. According to the 1989 surgeon general's report, more than 4,000 infant deaths in the previous year could be attributed to the mother's cigarette smoking during pregnancy. Experts associate growth retardation, low birth weight, and prematurity in newborns with increased vulnerability to illness, and these problems are associated with exposure to cigarette smoke. Premature infants' lungs are less developed, making these babies susceptible to illnesses such as bronchitis and pneumonia, especially if one or both parents continue to smoke. Secondhand smoke may also depress or compromise an infant's immune system. There is also evidence that a child's behavior and intellectual development may be affected by exposure to cigarette smoke, and babies born to smokers score lower on neurological tests and are more likely to be irritable and hyperactive. Evidence such as this has convinced a growing number of people that there is a need for increased regulation. Smoking itself is a health hazard, but we as a society do protect the rights of smokers to make this choice for themselves. However, we may al
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Approximate Word count = 2098
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)