Dear Ferret Folks-- Smoking does not make people "bad". It does not make them "bad parents". Unfortunately, that's usually the message smokers get when they read a post about second hand smoke, and it hurts their feelings. What can we say about smoking and owning ferrets that won't just turn smokers off? Let's talk about the most common "myth" of second hand smoke, because we all want to know how to keep our fuzzies safe. The most common myth of second hand smoke is that you have to be able to actually see the smoke, to smell it, for it to pose a health danger. Wrong. A burning cigarette produces two things. First, the visible particulate evidence of the combustion of paper wrapper and tobacco. This visible evidence, in the form of "smoke", typically rises from the burning ember in a continuous stream. However, that burning ember also releases combustion products in the form of invisible gasses that are every bit as toxic as the visible "smoke". Some of those outgassed compounds will have a detectable odor, and some of them will not. Thus, you don't have to see smoke to live in a contaminated environment. You don't have to smell smoke to live in a contaminated environment. You just need to have smokers in the home. The cigarette companies are well aware of this common mis-perception that actual smoke and odor must necessarily be present to indicate environmental contamination. They are well aware that many smokers feel uncomfortable about the smoke they produce. They want to keep it away from people or animals in the home, often by smoking on, say, the front porch, or just one room in the home. They are way ahead of you, here. They've worked hard to find just the right additives to add to their product to reduce the amount of visible smoke that each cigarette produces, WITHOUT REDUCING THE TOXCICITY OF CIGARETTE EMISSIONS. In other words, they are just as poison as they ever were, only now people are lulled into believing that they are somehow safer because it's harder to smell them in the home hours later. Because of these additives, poeple frequently *think* that they are producing less second hand smoke than they really are because they can't see it, can't smell it. But it's there. Don't be fooled. We all love our fuzzies. Please smoke OUTSIDE, if you have to smoke. Not on a porch that ultimately shares an airflow with your home, but outside. Stephanie Bass was trying to make it clear that at her place, folks smoked *outside*. Not everybody will agree with me, but I don't think I'd have a very hard time giving a fuzzie a forever home with a smoker who only smoked *outside*. I wouldn't give one to an inside smoker. It's not a moral issue for me, but an environmental one. And there are obviously not enough loving forever homes to go around, the shelters are full. It's a judgement call, and different people will make a different decision. But here is an eye-opening study on how the cigarette companies have reduced the visible smoke emissions of cigarettes, and reduced the lingering odor, as well, with additives in an effort to make people think that second hand smoke isn't such a threat. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health undertook the study. It is entitled "How Cigarette Additives are Used to Mask Environmental Smoke." It was such a cynical thing for the companies to do, especially targeting young mothers who were concerned that the smoke was bad for their children. Just make the smoke...invisible. Nothing beats quitting, but if you can't, please smoke outside, for the fuzzies sake. Not on the porch, outside. Not because you are "bad" or "irresponsible", but because you are awesome ferret mommies and daddies. Alexandra in MA http://tc.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/9/3/283%20 (Scroll down, there is a lot of space on the first page.) [Posted in FML issue 5029]