Airplanes: Cigarette Smoke in Non-smoking Areas
When former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop called for a ban of smoking on all airline flights, he said that "separating cigarette smokers from nonsmokers on airline flights does not necessarily prevent non-smoking passengers from absorbing carcinogens and other toxic substances found in tobacco smoke."
Studies have shown that passengers in non-smoking sections were exposed to significant levels of cigarette smoke. Some were effected to levels comparable to those in the smoking sections.
The older airplanes have systems which circulate 100% new air, while newer planes will circulate only 50% of the air. Today, there are only a relatively few flights left which allow smoking. However, smoking sections still exist in restaurants, office buildings, etc.
Polonium, Lead and Cigarettes
The fact that cigarette smoking causes cancer and coronary heart disease is well known and documented. Both tar and nicotine have been implicated in these disorders. But now, more indicators show another deadly ingredient in cigarette smoke: radiation.
Increasing evidence shows alpha radiation, the most damaging type, in tobacco promotes changes in normal cells resulting in cancerous growth. So says research associate Lynn Campbell of the American Council on Science and Health. The source of this radioactivity comes from two substances: polonium-210 and lead-210.
Polonium-210 results from the decay of radon, a substance produced from naturally occurring uranium below the earth. (Radon has also been shown to cause lung cancer.) Tobacco contains substantial amounts of polonium which produces alpha radiation, and cigarette smoke helps deliver it to the cells of the smoker and non-smoker alike. Children, because of their rapid growth, are especially susceptible to harmful effects of the alpha radiation of tobacco smoke in the air.
The 1982 Surgeon General's Report cited studies which verified the presence of radioactive polonium-210 in tobacco smoke.
Lead-210, another radioactive atom dangerous to human health, has also been found in tobacco. Like polonium-210, it can directly effect living cells via alpha radiation in tobacco smoke. But unlike polonium-210, lead-210 is very concentrated in tobacco.
Many believe that the alpha radiation produced in tobacco smoke from both polonium-210 and lead-210 is a primary factor in the development of lung cancer. It's reported that 325,000 people a year die not just from lung cancer, but coronary heart disease and other problems related to cigarette smoking.
How Tobacco Companies Target Children
(Reprinted with permission from Smokefree Educational Services, Inc. 375 S. End Ave. Suite 32F New York, NY 102803843. 212-269-3843)
Almost all smokers begin using cigarettes in their teens or preteens. If cigarette companies are to replace the 2.5 million adult smokers who die each year worldwide from lung and throat cancer, emphysema, and heart disease, they must attract children. Here are some of the ways they try:
… Sponsorship of rock concerts and sporting events.
Cigarette companies sponsor rock concerts and other music festivals with substantial young audiences. They also sponsor many sporting events. Every major league baseball park has a Marlboro or Winston billboard. Although cigarette ads are banned on TV, the best camera angles in televised games include views of these billboards. Philip Morris sponsors women's tennis through its Virginia Slims brand. Many children believe that women tennis players smoke. By associating smoking with healthy activities, cigarette companies place doubt in people's minds, especially children, about the unhealthy effects of smoking. Earlier this year, R.J. Reynolds sponsored a rock concert in Taiwan featuring local teen idol, Hsuow-Yu Chang. Tickets were not for sale at any price. Admission was five empty packs of Winstons.
… Vending Machines.
Some vending machines sell both candy and cigarettes. And some are located in arcades where there are plenty of young people. Although most states ban cigarette sales to minors, children can easily buy cigarettes from vending machines. Clearly, children get the wrong message about the dangers of smoking when cigarettes and candy are offered side by side. Former Surgeon General C. Everette Koop called for a ban on cigarette vending machines. Koop told a congressional committee, "There is no logical reason why we should have a double standard for controlling the sale of tobacco and alcohol. Would we tolerate the sale of alcoholic beverages through vending machines? Of course not."
(Editor's note: Presently, the state of Minnesota has a goal of being "smoke-free" by the year 2000. In Minneapolis, a proposal to ban cigarette vending machines is presently being considered.)
… Free giveaways.
Cigarette companies give away hundreds of millions of dollars worth of free cigarettes each year. These companies used to give away free samples in schools. Now they give away their samples near schools, in shopping centers, or other places where children hang out. In foreign countries, American cigarette companies often hire children to give out free samples.
… Movie Placements.
Almost half of all movie goers are under 21 years of age. And almost every major motion picture has a central character who smokes. Philip Morris reportedly paid $350,000 for James Bond to smoke in the recent film "Licensed To Kill." James Bond is a hero to millions of children worldwide. His smoking will not go unnoticed among them.
… TV Guide.
Cigarette ads are banned on TV because of TV's substantial and unavoidable audience of young people. Tobacco companies advertise heavily, however, in TV Guide. And this is often one of the first publications children learn to read on a regular basis.