Recent studies have shown the increasing health risk that smoking poses, not just to those who smoke but also to those around them. Smokers, as well as passive smokers, run a higher risk of contracting lung cancer and other diseases of the respiratory tract.
Besides being a health hazard, it is an annoyance. The smoke of cigarettes causes eye irritation and cigarette ash may blow into your food at a restaurant. This is rather unpalatable!
Cigarette smoke pollutes the environment, contributing to photo-chemical smog. Also, the carbon dioxide content of the smoke increases temperatures, causing discomfort, especially in enclosed places.
Ladies and gentlemen, smoking is a fire hazard, especially in offices where there are a lot of books, papers, documents and other flammable material s well as in factories which manufacture or use highly-flammable products like petroleum paint. On a smaller scale, it is a nuisance when a cigarette butt accidentally burns a hole in your clothes.
Smokers, either through ignorance or lack of consideration, often disregard the rights of non-smokers, blowing smoke in their faces and littering the place with cigarette butts and ash.
Smoking is now prohibited in public places, public transport and cinemas. However, in hospitals and government departments where smoking has been banned, some still smoke, showing a blatant disregard for rules and a lack of consideration for others.
With the ban on smoking, enforcement officers will now make their rounds and impose stiff fines on those caught breaking the law. Smoke detectors could be placed in public places where smoking is prohibited. The embarrassment of having triggered off the annoying ‘Beep…Beep…’ sound of the detectors and the stares would be enough to deter any a potential smoker. Cigarette advertisements should be banned because they glamorize smoking and present a misleading image of all smokers as being young, healthy and higher-class, which is not always the case. It is also important to educate the public on the hazards of smoking and passive-smoking.
Vocabulary
hazard something that is dangerous and likely to cause damage
unpalatable describes food that is unpleasant to taste or eat
flammable describes something that burns easily