I have a way to release toxic chemicals into the air. I can take them with me everywhere,… I have a way to release toxic chemicals into the air. I can take them with me everywhere, and wherever I go I can emit them into the environment with total disregard for whom they might affect. It may be you waiting for a bus, your children playing in the park, or your little sister riding her bike down the street. These chemicals are proven killers, but in most cases there are no laws to prevent me from dispersing them into the public.

We’re not talking about terrorism. We’re talking about tobacco.

Every day, every person who leaves the house is a victim. Environmental tobacco smoke, also known as second-hand smoke, is ubiquitous and unavoidable. It’s killing you, and you have very little power to stop it.

How many times have you been walking to class or attempting to take a stroll when you were bombarded by someone else’s smoke? Not only is it annoying, it’s deadly. ETS is carcinogenic and causes heart disease. The Center for Disease Control states approximately 40,000 deaths each year can be attributed to ETS. In children, it causes middle-ear infections and respiratory afflictions, including irritating and worsening asthma.

Laws have been enacted in recent decades to aid the “clean air” cause. Smoking is now prohibited on the grounds of public schools, and is completely banned or at least restricted in many restaurants, on airplanes and inside public buildings. However, there are few laws protecting the publicly owned outdoor areas that we frequent every day. Smoking should be banned in these areas to promote the well-being of all citizens, smokers or not, who have the right to occupy them.

I’m not the only one who thinks second-hand smoke is annoying. Nonsmokers are the majority, and should be able to work, play and live in public areas they have the right to use without being exposed to something that is displeasing and dangerous.

I realize smokers have rights as well, but I don’t think those rights should include exposing others to something with deadly potential in a place where they can’t avoid it. You have a right to make decisions that can harm you, but not others.

Cigarette smoke is present in places that are not frequented by choice, but out of necessity. No matter where you turn, there is usually someone around you smoking. Even if you choose an alternate walking route or place to stand, you will probably encounter a smoker. Every time you enter or leave a building, you pass groups of them. You can’t and shouldn’t have to avoid the smoke.

I’m not advocating banning smoking altogether. Designated areas where smoking is allowed that are out of the way of normal pedestrian traffic would solve the problem. Like the smoking and nonsmoking seating areas in restaurants, at least with separation you can choose to be exposed to second-hand smoke. It may not be much, but any action would be a step in the right direction. It may be inconvenient to have to relocate just to smoke a cigarette, but lung cancer is kind of inconvenient to the rest of us.

I wish I could tell people not to smoke at all – it would be better for everyone in the long run – but I can’t do that. All I’m hoping for is something that will allow them to make the decision to harm themselves without harming others as well.

Jen is wondering if this problem is real enough for her biggest fan, Chad. Share your comments and opinions with her at [email protected].