Editorial: If there’s smoke, you’re probably not in New York City

Although smokers may soon run out of places to light up, nonsmokers may gain places to… Although smokers may soon run out of places to light up, nonsmokers may gain places to breathe.

New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg announced plans to ban smoking outdoors in parks, beaches, marinas, boardwalks and pedestrian plazas last week, according to CNN.

In 2006, California’s Air Resources Board released a report that resulted in secondhand smoking being declared “a toxic air contaminant,” reported Slate.

“The science is clear: Prolonged exposure to secondhand smoke — whether you’re indoors or out — hurts your health. Today, we’re doing something about it,” Bloomberg said in a press release last Wednesday.

Los Angeles and Chicago already have similar outdoor smoking bans in place, according to The New York Times.

Should Pittsburgh be next?

While we would be supportive of this type of smoking ban in Pittsburgh, we have to wonder how effectively it can be enforced.

In an article in The New York Times, Bloomberg said, “It may not be logistically possible to enforce a ban across thousands of acres, but there may be areas within parks where restricting smoking can protect health.”

Secondhand smoke contains thousands of toxic chemicals, including benzene and carbon monoxide, and is known to cause or contribute to lung disease, cancer and heart disease, according to Mayo Clinic. Secondhand smoke also leaves a toxic residue on hair and clothing that is dangerous, especially to children, who are more vulnerable to secondhand smoke.

To reduce secondhand smoke as well as attempt to further curb smoking rates, New York City’s proposed ban “would affect more than 1,700 parks, playgrounds and recreational facilities, as well as the city’s seven beaches, which span 14 miles of shoreline,” according to The New York Times.

New York City Council speaker Christine C. Quinn said that fines for rule breakers “should be modest and not intended to punish.”

But even if such a plan were to go in effect in Pittsburgh, we feel it would be too unenforceable with punishments not harsh enough to make much of a difference. And with recent crime on and near campus, having police constantly scanning Schenley Park for smokers is probably not the best use of resources. Still, it’d be nice if smokers would keep it out of playgrounds, plazas and parks.

And while smoking is a lifestyle choice people have the option of making, they should remember that their decision can linger in the air for hours.