Smoking in Public

The body of a human being has distinct ways of protecting itself from infection and diseases. However, smoking compromises the immune system and lowers the body's chances of fighting these infections and illnesses. Smokers are thus more exposed to respiratory infection. Smoking in public will not only affect the smoker but will also affect other people who are around him or her may it be children, pregnant mothers or people with other infections and are affected negatively by inhaling the smoke. Smoking in public places should, therefore, be banned and strict rules and penalties put across to make sure every member of the society abide by them. This essay aims at showing the negative effects of smoking in public that lay down reasons for its banning.

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Second-hand smoking may cause cancer to the victim. The smoke that is exhaled by the smoker and the one that comes from the other end of the cigarette contains approximately 7000 chemicals, among these chemicals 70 are known to cause cancer. The inhalation of smoke may thus lead to cancer in the lungs, bronchus, esophagus, oral cavity, trachea, stomach or even nasopharynx (White 29). Cancer has been known to be a notorious killer with limited or very expensive facilities to treat it thus exposing somebody to cancer through second-hand smoking or smoking in public should be punished by law.

Public smoking may affect pregnant mothers or even unborn babies. Public smoking lowers the amount of oxygen available to the growing baby and the pregnant mothers. The chances of stillbirth and miscarriage are also increased thus lowering the chances of the mother or the baby surviving. The baby may also be born prematurely or underweight. With increased respiratory problems, and risks of birth defects the baby's life is put at risk (DeMint & Woodard 126). Putting the baby's life at risk should be avoided at all costs thus laying down reasons why smoking in public should be avoided.

Smoking in the public litter the environment; there are millions of cigarettes butt collected all over the word every year. Litter from cigarette butts would not be an issue if smokers dispose them well, however, this has not been the problem over the years as most of the smokers do not (DeMint & Woodard 128). There are cigarettes butts all over, in attractive buildings, and the surrounding landscape making these places less attractive to be in or to visit. Since a smoking ban would reduce this littering, there is a need to put the bans in place. The smell of smoke is also annoying and unpleasant. The smoke tends to linger on clothes and hair and to make it fade may be economically demanding and tiresome. Clothes worn in a smoky bar may smell the smoke even several days after one has been to the smoke (White 23).

In conclusion, there is a great need to avoid smoking in public due to the negative effect it has to those exposed to it. Among these reasons are the health risks to unborn babies and pregnant mothers. Another reason is littering of the environment as the already used butts are seen all over the environment, bad smell on clothes worn by those exposed to the smoke, and the fact that smoking may cause cancer which is the leading cause of death in the world today. Therefore, strict rules should be enacted to eradicate smoking in public so as to avoid the problems that result from the practice.

Work cited

DeMint, Jim, and J D. Woodard. Why We Whisper: Restoring Our Right to Say It's Wrong. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2008. Print.

White, Richard. Smoke Screens: The Truth About Tobacco. Raleigh, NC: Richard White, 2009. Print.