Dear Editor:

Over the years many students from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston have spent several weeks working with Lovelace Family Medicine. Many of them have spearheaded projects to promote smoking cessation and smoke free environments, and in some cases they have been met with sucess. For instance, in 2004 Newberry College enacted a smoking ban on its campus. However, despite some victories there are many challenges left in Newberry County. For instance, many communities do not have any ordinances in place to prevent second hand exposure to this toxic substance.

There have been many arguments against regulation of smoking in public places. One often heard is that such a ban will harm local businesses, but this has not been the case in other areas of the state where bans are in place. In fact, many owners have noted that they see more families in their establishments due to the more pleasant environment that a smoke free business provides. Another myth is that having a separate smoke free section is enough to avoid exposure. However, smoking just a few cigarettes in a restaurant are enough to impact the air quality for the whole establishment.

Just how dangerous is smoking? The Environmental Protection Agency classified tobacco smoke as a Class A carcinogen, containing at least 43 cancer-causing substances. Scientists believe that smoking is responsible for a third of all deaths related to cancer, and in South Carolina 5,900 SC adults die each year from smoking. If that were not enough, tobacco smoke not only injures the smoker, but also those around him or her. In South Carolina up to 1,130 adults, children and babies die each year from others’ smoking. The Surgeon General issued a report in 2006 that stated “there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.”

In light of these dangers, many local governments in South Carolina have adopted outdoor smoking bans. On Aug. 25, Lexington County joined the move started by Sullivan’s Island in May 2006 to outlaw smoking in workplaces. Yet despite the growing trends throughout the state and despite the health hazards of smoking, Newberry’s local governments have not enacted any of measures protecting the residents from tobacco smoke. I firmly believe that it is time to change that.

Jan Vargas

MUSC College of Medicine

Class of 2011

Columbia