Whew – Smoking In The Car Is THIS Dangerous!

New research shows that smoking while driving can have very unpleasant consequences for fellow passengers.

The tobacco ban has now reached far and wide.

But stil, we are allowed to smoke in our own car.

But for how long?

An international research team now demonstrates in an article in the journal Tobacco Control, that tobacco smoking in a car leads to a very high concentration of nicotine.

READ Summary of the study (external link)

The concentration is in fact so high, that in the reasearchers point of’ view, it should lead to a closer look at the rules to smoke while driving in the car. For the sake of the children, first and foremost, but also for the other adult passengers’ health and overall health.

More nicotine than in a bar
The investigation revealed that the concentration of nicotine in the air in the vehicle was much higher than the concentration of nicotine, which is generally measured by public or private indoor areas.

It actually exceeded the amount is also nicotine levels in restaurants and bars.

Scientists describe this new study of smoking in motor vehicle as an ‘important microenvironment for exposure to passive smoking’.

In some countries and cities are actually already banned smoking in cars when there are children, the researchers argue.

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Dead smoker’s daughter gets $16 million damages

Tobacco giant Philip Morris is to pay a whooping $16 in punitive damages to the daughter of a long-time smoker who died of lung cancer.

In February 2003 American Betty Bullock died of lung cancer at the age of 64 years after 47 years of chain smoking.

Two years before her death, the incurably ill woman sued the tobacco company Philip Morris for fraud because the company, according to Bullock deceived her deliberately concealing the health risks of smoking and therefore are responsible for her smoking – and thus causing her lung cancer.

When Betty Bullock died, her daughter took over her action, and shortly after her mother’s death, a jury recommended that Jodie Bullock was awarded staggering 28 billion dollars in punitive damages, in addition to damages of $750,000 and $100,000 for pain and suffering.

The latter two amounts has been maintained through several courts, while punitive damages have been subjected to scrutiny.

The judge in the original case chose to ignore because the jury’s recommendation and imposed punitive damages to a thousandth, but still had $28 million U.S.

Philip Morris appealed, and Jodie Bullock is now by a jury in Los Angeles awarded nearly half penalty compensation: 13.8 million U.S. dollars.

Altria Group Inc., which owns Philip Morris, has throughout the proceedings insisted that they can not be held responsible for the death of Betty Bullock, and that she could have quit any time.

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Are American Troops To Quit Smoking?

It weakens the “military clout and thus preparedness”, says the Pentagon. So the Pentagon is now considering banning smoking on U.S. deployed soldiers.

This means, that soldiers in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere around the world can not lit a cigarette, when they are on patrol or in combat. Even if they go outside.

Urge for nicotine
The Pentagon and the American Board of veterans who are behind the idea. Together, they have done a study showing the impact smoking has on soldiers’ skills. This will not only put an end to sales of the usually cheap tobacco on military bases, but also prohibit all military staff to smoke, so that not even combat soldiers can have a smoke to relax in a break between the fighting.

The plan is to introduce a ban over the next 10 years, but U.S. soldiers are not exactly positive.

- When you’re tired and have run on for several days with minimal sleep, and you do not get regular meals on time, so can a wheezing tobacco make all the difference, says retired General Russell Honore to CNN.

Several smokers among soldiers
Others fear that a ban on smoking will have on already high suicide rate among soldiers to rise further.

One out of three American soldiers in active service smoker, while smokers represent only a fifth of the entire population.

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