Letter: Anti-smoking law needed to protect children

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As exciting as it is that Minnesota just had its five-year anniversary of the Freedom to Breathe Act, I am so happy that author Julie Buntjer acknowledges that health officials say that there is still a long road ahead for reducing second-hand smoke. (Oct. 2 Daily Globe.)

As mentioned in the article, “… adults are also not allowed to smoke in vehicles while transporting daycare and foster children.” I believe that a law needs to be put in place that bans smoking in vehicles with children under the age of 18.

Second-hand smoke poses a special threat to children. According to the “Smoking in Cars” fact sheet that can be found on the Action on Smoking and Health website, “Given that children have significantly higher metabolic and respiratory rates than adults, exposure to secondhand smoke in vehicles is potentially a very serious problem.” Not only does a child’s young body put them at a greater risk from second-hand smoke, but breathing second-hand smoke in an enclosed vehicle also poses increased health risks. According to one study, “In condition 1 (motionless car with all windows closed), the average level during cigarette smoking was over 11 times the level in an Irish pub in which smoking was allowed.” This alarming fact shows the severity of the problem at hand.

Second-hand smoke is a grave danger for children enclosed in a car with someone smoking. Children can’t control the actions of the adults around them. This is why a policy needs to be passed to protect children, who don’t yet have the means to protect themselves against second-hand smoke.

Tags: freedom to breathe, opinion, letters, health