Exposing children to smoke is child abuse

Exposing children to smoke is child abuse!!

Post by Woodnyet » Sat Jan 07, 2012 6:47 pm
This is my belated New Year Editorial

Exposing children to smoke is child abuse

We grew up in the 1960s, when our parents and elders used tobacco in the house. On holidays, I recall choking in a pall of thick blue smog in my grandfather's small living room. Yes, we kids "survived it," but almost every relative of mine that had smoked is now dead (on an average age of their late forties)

Of course the general public did not learn of the health danger of second-hand smoke until the late 1980s. As of now, 2012, more and more states are enacting smoking bans in public places. And most sensible smoking parents now use their tobacco out-of-doors.

Interestingly enough, second hand smoke from wood-burning fireplaces creates substantial indoor air pollution, much the same as we had experienced in our youth. That being said, I have identified a new smoking chimney right near my back yard. Today, I smelled subtle smoke inside my own home. I looked out my back window and
noticed the next yard looked almost like a London fog. (I am not making this up) The smoke was originating from a neighbor's chimney. After dark, I rechecked that chimney with my laser pointer to confirm the continuance of that particular pollution source.

I know these people have a small 3-year old child. Their window drapes were open, so I could see their television. It had Mickey Mouse on, confirming that a small child was present in the same room as the badly-smoking fireplace. I reckoned that the child was breathing a substantial dose of secondhand smoke, because that fireplace is in that TV room.

Should I have called child protective services? Because carelessly exposing children to smoke is child abuse. That is because smoke is in fact harmful, especially to young lungs. And there is no excuse for this.

Should people report clueless parents exposing their kids to SHS, in a car or otherwise? In every state, small children are required to be sitting in car safety seats ... should we not protect them from smoke as well? After all, a car safety
seat protects against possible harm. But smoke creates not just a possible harm, it creates a certain harm.

So where is the outrage on this?

P.S.
The Surgeon General has determined that there is no safe level of exposure to ambient smoke!

If you smell even a subtle odor of smoke, you are being exposed to poisonous and carcinogenic compounds!

Since smoke drastically weakens the lungs' immune system, staying away from smoke is one of the best ways to avoid colds and flu, or risk of an even more serious respiratory illness, such as pneumonia or tuberculosis!

Source: http://burningissues.org//forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4676

Webmaster---All who care about the environment, the air that we breathe, and your health should check out this great website as to why all wood burning should be prohibited/banned/ended. Then take action in your town to do just that!!! http://burningissues.org/car-www/index.html