More Second Hand Smoke Scare Tactics....

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

how do you know your asthma came from your dad's smoking? you may have it regardless of your dad's smoking. many people have asthma and were not ever subjected to second hand smoke.

the person that died from lung cancer but never smoked. there is no way to attribute this to second hand smoke.... it would be guessing.

same thing with your grandfather's emphysema, there is no way to attribute it to second hand smoke... it would be guessing.

No you can't "know" what caused an individual's condition, but there is such a thing as correlation.

Factors X and Y tend to produce result Z.

[Amby 490]

someone just posted this on fb and it made me think of this thread

how do you know your asthma came from your dad's smoking? you may have it regardless of your dad's smoking. many people have asthma and were not ever subjected to second hand smoke.

the person that died from lung cancer but never smoked. there is no way to attribute this to second hand smoke.... it would be guessing.

same thing with your grandfather's emphysema, there is no way to attribute it to second hand smoke... it would be guessing.

asthma is more common in kids (mainly because of allergies) than in adults, but when it shows up later in life (mine showed up in my late teens) it is more commonly diagnosed in people who smoke (I don't smoke) or who were exposed to secondhand smoke. I don't know for sure but I do know asthma commonly runs in families (they haven't identified all the genes for it yet, but are fairly sure people have at least a genetic predisposition) and no one else in my family has ever had and type of respiratory problems or asthma. I am the only one of 3 kids who he smoked around and the only one with any type of respiratory problems. I don't remember where I read it, but there was a study somewhere in the US and they found that when asthma runs in a family then genetics has more to do with it, but when it doesn't run in the family the environment has more to do with it.

are you a smoker?

Edited November 27, 2010 by Amby

[Amby 490]

Here's a good journal article on emphysema in non smokers http://www.ccjm.org/content/69/12/928.full.pdf

[Amby 490]

EPA http://www.epa.gov/smokefree/healtheffects.html

American Cancer Society http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/tobaccocancer/secondhand-smoke

WHO study http://www.medicaldaily.com/news/20101127/4242/600000-people-dies-annually-from-second-hand-smoke.htm

Surgeon General's report http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/report/index.html

CDC http://www.bmj.com/content/328/7446/980.full

Cleveland Clinic http://my.clevelandclinic.org/healthy_living/smoking/hic_dangers_of_second-hand_smoke.aspx

Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/secondhand-smoke/CC00023

AMA http://www.tobaccoscam.ucsf.edu/pdf/9.1-Glantz&Parmely-EvenALittleIsDangerous.pdf

This is interesting...it's bad for smokers too http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2684011/second_hand_smoke_is_more_dangerous.html?cat=70

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Again, faux science is ignorant or genetics in these studies. It is a HUGE factor that gets ignored time and time again because this is all about politics, NOT about health....

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Again, faux science is ignorant or genetics in these studies. It is a HUGE factor that gets ignored time and time again because this is all about politics, NOT about health....

Keep smoking, it won't hurt you. It's the government that's out to get you.

[^_^ 5,021]

Paul has a superior grasp of everything, from epidemiology to law. And he achieved it all without ever going to college or even going to class.

He is truly the most interesting man in the world.

[scandal 951]

Keep smoking, it won't hurt you. It's the government that's out to get you.

Actually, it's the Nazis. Or the Socialists. Or ... gee, I forget. But it's one of those. Honest.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Paul has a superior grasp of everything, from epidemiology to law. And he achieved it all without ever going to college or even going to class.

He is truly the most interesting man in the world.

His medical knowledge is astounding. It is such a waste of brainpower for him to post here.

[VanessaTony 3,567]

I still don't know one person that has died from smoking.

I can count 4 from car wrecks.

1 murdered.

My maternal grandfather died from lung cancer 30 years after he quit smoking.

My maternal grandmother from liver cancer (though rumour is it started in the breast or something..)

My paternal grandfather was murdered.

My paternal grandmother.. no-one seems to know for sure but old age is involved.

I know two of my in-laws have breast cancer. One is cured the other didn't find out till it got into her bones. She's got about 6 months left.. so they say.

I'm allergic to cigarette smoke.

Only idiots smoke and claim it's not dangerous. Of course it is, especially when the cigarette companies are so open about what's IN a cigarette **shudder**

[VanessaTony 3,567]

how do you know your asthma came from your dad's smoking? you may have it regardless of your dad's smoking. many people have asthma and were not ever subjected to second hand smoke.

Agreed here.

Neither of my parents smoke or smoked. I wasn't around cigarette smoke yet i developed asthma as a child, and had recurrent bronchitis. As an adult (and a trombone player) my lungs are better than the average persons yet I'm still classified as "asthmatic" because my lungs aren't as good as they SHOULD be for someone who plays brass.

[Amby 490]

Again, faux science is ignorant or genetics in these studies. It is a HUGE factor that gets ignored time and time again because this is all about politics, NOT about health....

can you show me some journal articles to back this up? I found ONE thing in the Washington Post that suggested a better understanding of science was needed to fully show the problems with secondhand smoke BUT it also said there's no question it's harmful.

eta: 1. Paul - I'm in medical school so I have a pretty good understanding of science and genetics

2. The article was written by a toxicologist

Edited November 27, 2010 by Amby

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Keep smoking, it won't hurt you. It's the government that's out to get you.

I don't smoke except on the very rare social occasion when drinking out at a bar... That's it.

I don't have the addictive gene, so things don't get to/bother me like that.

Smoking alone isn't as harmful as some make it out to be. It cannot work on its own. There are plenty of other factors in your body's make-up that help to decide whether it will eventually kill you or not. It's just like the mixture of certain drugs with alcohol. One alone is ok in moderation, but mix them together and there are harmful consequences either right away or over time.... There are many health factors that play into whether or not smoking is 'bad' for you. Hell, there are people thanks to their genetic makeup that can smoke and drink every day and live to be 100.... It's all about what you have/what you don't have.... *gasp* at the idea people are different. We cannot say that out loud because that is discriminatory.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

I don't smoke except on the very rare social occasion when drinking out at a bar... That's it.

I don't have the addictive gene, so things don't get to/bother me like that.

Smoking alone isn't as harmful as some make it out to be. It cannot work on its own. There are plenty of other factors in your body's make-up that help to decide whether it will eventually kill you or not. It's just like the mixture of certain drugs with alcohol. One alone is ok in moderation, but mix them together and there are harmful consequences either right away or over time.... There are many health factors that play into whether or not smoking is 'bad' for you. Hell, there are people thanks to their genetic makeup that can smoke and drink every day and live to be 100.... It's all about what you have/what you don't have.... *gasp* at the idea people are different. We cannot say that out loud because that is discriminatory.

Do you think that in general smoking isn't harmful? It's just a brainwashing by the government? Medical research hasn't proved anything? Could you provide a few credible sources?

[Obama 2012 1,714]

can you show me some journal articles to back this up? I found ONE thing in the Washington Post that suggested a better understanding of science was needed to fully show the problems with secondhand smoke BUT it also said there's no question it's harmful.

eta: 1. Paul - I'm in medical school so I have a pretty good understanding of science and genetics

2. The article was written by a toxicologist

Outside of actual 'behavior' studies, you're not going to find much on those willing to dive into such a controversial subject. It's too politically controversial to blame ones own genetic makeup on whether or not they are at a higher risk of smoking killing them. We already do it with obvious surface level conditions on how smoking can be harmful, but it's rarely looked at/discussed on an overall biological level. There are plenty of cases out there that warrant that conclusion. Especially when you study individuals who smoke at the exact same rate, have the exact same body types, and yet have very very different results from years of constant smoking/being around smoke.