The Review

Issue date: 3/18/08 Section: Editorial

I frequently hold my breath and close my eyes as I pass through those 10 seconds of netherworld several times per day.

I then breathe a deep sigh of relief - I made it through that gray cloud of toxic particles only slightly harmed.

Unfortunately, I am in this temporary state of agony on a daily basis because of my fellow classmates' habits. While walking on the only possible path to my next class, I am frequently stuck strolling behind smokers who happen to exhale their smoke over their shoulders.

The wind then acts as my archnemesis and blows that second-hand smoke right back in my face.

Not a pleasant experience.

There are too many students and university faculty members smoking around campus, many of whom are not courteous to non-smokers.

Although I respect smokers' rights to do their thing and make their own decisions, they should be polite to healthy-lunged people who have the right to breathe fresh air.

Smokers, don't smoke on your way to class or right outside classroom buildings because non-smokers have no other choice but to breath your noxious exhalations.

Non-smokers must then go through the rest of the day with the smell of burnt ashes absorbed in their hair and clothes.

If you are hanging out with a new acquaintance or do not know someone's opinions on smoking, do not light up next to them - it is rude.

Not everyone likes to breathe in toxic chemicals for fun.

Be careful with lit cigarettes around people. If you bump into someone or hug someone, cigarettes can burn.

It is also inconsiderate to smoke in people's cars. Ask before doing it, or better yet, do not do it all.

Most non-smoking drivers do not want their hot wheels developing a yellow film on the inside or smelling like ashes.

Not only does cigarette smoke smell bad, but so do smokers when clean-air breathers are face-to-face with them. My ideal seat in my economics course can be ruined by a fellow student who sits down next to me, stinking up the entire front row.

Non-smokers have the right to inhale healthy, clean air. Cigarette smoke poses many dangerous side effects to non-smokers.

According to the American Cancer Society's Web site, second-hand smoke harms non-smokers' heart and blood circulation and can cause lung cancer and heart disease. Non-smokers absorb nicotine and other harmful chemicals from others' smoke.

There is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke, according to scientific evidence.

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