The passive smoking meme seems to have life of its own. Now if you have cheeeeeldren, they are in danger from DEATH by the eeevil passive smoking if you live in a flat.
Children living in flats have 45% more exposure to tobacco smoke than those in detached houses, a US study says.
Researchers from Harvard and Rochester Universities say that is because the smoke seeps through walls and shared ventilation systems.
How did they reach this startling conclusion?
They tested cotinine levels in blood samples from 5,000 children across the US for the study in Pediatrics.
Right, that’s the cotinine found in tomatoes, egg plants, peppers and potatoes…
Of course the usual suspects have a solution:
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) said there was a “strong case” for making blocks of flats smoke free.
Well, they would, wouldn’t they?
It’s the dishonesty which gets to me – the reason they want to do these things to people.
I find it incredible that anyone with the intelligence to keep their knuckles from scraping along the floor could possibly believe such nonsense. Smoke ‘seeping through walls’ … it’s laughably absurd. Another they mentioned in the original report (it’s about 2 months old) is that smoke enters a flat through holes drilled for electrical wires – smoke with a blueprint of the house plans and a satnav.
Yet it gets on the BBC website. Astounding.
(incidentally, Prof Winickoff is the same guy who invented thirdhand smoke, which he then ‘proved’ by holding a phone poll asking if people thought it might be a possible danger – yes, that’s the level of ‘science’ we are talking here)
Long before they get around to flats, they will be after cars.
I just happened to be delivering parcels this morning (all hands on deck after last weeks snow) to a new, well to do, housing estate.
Prominently displayed outside each of the rabbit hutch apartments that form the “affordable housing” bit of the estate that developers have to provide to get the plans through were “It is illegal to smoke on these premises” signs.
It would seem that the Housing Association has already made their choice around these parts.
Always found it to be a bit of a daft habit, but not against it unless its blown in my face. If somewhere is too smokey I just go somewhere else. Simple.
But after 47 smoke free years, I’m starting to feel like taking it up just to piss certain people off.
Surely there are others who feel the same way?
About ten years or so back,I recall reading somewhere that nicotine had been found to reduce the chances of Alzheimers, suggesting that it may be wise to start smoking in moderation at around 60. The logic was that one would probably have died of natural causes before cancer took hold.
Only another 13 years to go……
I like to chew liqourice root and keep it in an old baccy tin, cut into 3″ lengths.
You should see the looks I get in some places when I pop a bit between my chops and don’t start chewing straight away.
No smoking in flats?
Ronan Point, anyone?
“Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) said there was a “strong case” for making blocks of flats smoke free.”
I think there is an exceedingly strong case for ASH to just fuck off.
What irritates me about the passive smoking nonsense is the way that inhaling traffic fumes (far more prevalent and dangerous)is totally ignored. Next up – passive driving campaign?
Incidentally, the Japanese have an interesting variation on smoking policy. It’s illegal to smoke in the street, except for designated areas, but perfectly OK indoors.