Item — HN Reader

Strict smoking bans make a big difference for smokers, but not such a big deal for second-hand smoke. (I find it offensive if someone lights up a cigarette or cigar next to me without asking, and in some cases like at a sushi bar, I will cause this behavior to end, but casual infrequent exposure doesn't deliver that much incremental pollution to the lungs.)

I agree Asia is way more affected by this than most of the US; I'm actually looking forward to being in SF or Seattle for air/water quality and not in Asia where I am now. $100 would do more good for more people in the highest-pollution cities, but if someone is donating to charity, it is up to him if he values places he lives/people he is near/places he visits over the rest of the world.

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Strict smoking bans make a big difference for smokers, but not such a big deal for second-hand smoke.

On the contrary, the benefits for non-smokers are substantial.

For example, “Using 11 reports from 10 study locations, AMI risk decreased by 17% overall (IRR: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.75 to 0.92), with the greatest effect among younger individuals and nonsmokers.” (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19778665).

Or: “an overall 22% reduction in the AMI incidence within the first year after enactment of the new regulation. This reduction was driven by a significant decrease in the AMI incidence in men, nonsmokers, and individuals with established coronary artery disease” (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20069475).

Or an 18% reduction in hospital admissions for childhood asthma (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20843248).

Et, I think it’s justifiable to say, cetera. Second-hand smoke is a really big problem that smoking bans address effectively. There may be a case that smoking bans are bad for personal liberty, but I think it’s settled that they’re good for pretty much everyone’s health.

Wow. I didn't realize it was that big a risk factor. (I certainly wouldn't want a child care provider smoking around my hypothetical children; that seems like the biggest gain for the lowest loss of liberty.)