Mr. Weber, there is a big difference in environmental pollution in the
atmosphere and environmental pollution in your home.
 
When you are enclosed in a space (without many windows and doors open all
of the time), you have a seperate environment.  The pollution in there
then becomes Indoor Air Pollution.  Do you ever see the news, when they
go back to homes that were flooded?  You know, when they say that there
is mold inside and they cannot stay there?  That is because no matter how
many windows are open, mold can make you sick and even kill you.  But you
can see mold and treat it.
 
Smoking in the home has caused my brother and I serious health issues.
We both have smaller than average lungs, we both get bronchitis whenever
we are around smokers (I used to have it so much, I would look forward to
the bubblegum penicillin), and our lung capacity is poor.  These are just
a few of the things.
 
You can stop driving a car and you can stop smoking.  Whatever you do in
your household, you effect every other thing in that house.  The world is
6 billion bigger than your household, so stop the smoking first, then
stop driving.  Then you can talk about one being worse than the other
with wisdom.  Knowingly being a first hand contributor to a living
being's sickness is worse (for a lot of people).  Ask my mom.  Every day
she wishes she never smoked and never smoked around us.
 
This will be a touchy subject because smokers either hate smoking and
hate themselves for doing it, or delight in it and feel "discriminated".
As any addiction and the addicted.  It is nothing anyone can help, so I
do not feel bad if anyone is offended.  I just hope no one smokes around
their ferret.  There is an article in a recent Ferrets magazine about it.
They are SO small and vulnerable.  And I seriously hope there are no
people who think "If they get sick, I can just take them to the vet"
because that is so awful and cruel.
 
People who smoke outside: Thank you.  It may be cold or you may be
embarassed, but you are preserving the health of everyone inside,
including pets.  I appriciated my parents smoking outside, so much.
My parents even stopped smoking in the car, I would get so upset.
Smelling like smoke and not being a smoker sucks.
 
I am sure many of you will take this as a flame or whatever, but just
read this: http://www.epa.gov/smokefree/
 
It is just a concern for the well being of others that prompts this
discussion.  I consider my ferret my family, like many of you.  I know
some of you feel attacked, its not an attack.  It is education.  We are
all ignorant of many things, this is why we all educate each other.
Smoking is your choice; it is not your pet's choice.
[Posted in FML issue 5031]