# Doing the nasty in your own home when you have guests over **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 28, 2008, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doing-the-nasty-in-your-own-home-when-you-have-guests-over/478965 "2008-12-28T16:15:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doing-the-nasty-in-your-own-home-when-you-have-guests-over/478965/61 "2008-12-29T16:56:03Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > Well, not to speak for the guy–he’s usually pretty clear about his positions–but I think he’s not saying that environmental smoke doesn’t trigger attacks in asthma patients, but rather that more often than not people who are complaining about smoke and making medical excuses to guilt smokers into stubbing out are full of shit. That is, the medical conditions which are exacerbated by ambient smoke aren’t nearly as common as the number of medical complaints to smokers would suggest. > > I don’t know if I necessarily agree, but that’s my read of what he’s saying. Thats my take on it too. The large majority of rabid anti smokers make up some (totally false) medical reason why they can’t be around smoke, when at best most of em are only physically (mildly) bothered by it, and some of em probably only intellectually so. And I say this as a lifelong non-smoker that has allergies and IS somewhat bothered by smoke (not that I ever bring that up to a smoker). As I get older, I’ve come to realize that many folks will just MAKE up shit to support their position. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doing-the-nasty-in-your-own-home-when-you-have-guests-over/478965/62 "2008-12-29T17:11:22Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > You’re in the DR–and cigars are out of the question, I guess? Damn. I smoke cigars in my own home… out on the porch. I choose to do this because I don’t like how the smell of cigar smoke lingers in a room and on upholstery for days after the smoke, and as a once-a-week smoker, it doesn’t seem like a big deal to me. When I’m visiting here, for similar reasons, I smoke cigars on the patio or in the garden. But I would react poorly to someone who came into my home, saw my humidor, and said, “I hope you don’t think you’re going to smoke one of those in here!” ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doing-the-nasty-in-your-own-home-when-you-have-guests-over/478965/63 "2008-12-29T19:08:26Z")
So **Bricker** again, what did the lord and lady of the castle think? Did they support Prince Smokey or Prince Toady or yell at both of royal pains? Just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doing-the-nasty-in-your-own-home-when-you-have-guests-over/478965/64 "2008-12-29T19:17:44Z")
No question that the complainer was rude to be giving orders, although likely was caught by surprise when smoke suddenly started (not that that excuses, but perhaps explains). However, smoking does physical harm. Yes, cancer is something of a crapshoot, being a statistical possibility, but smoke causes other, less serious, but more immediate harm. It’s toxic, it contains particulates and chemicals, it changes blood pressure. Someone in your house cannot avoid these consequences unless they leave the premises. And we all understand that some people really hate smoke, for its smell, for its immediate harm, for its long-term risks, and for the fact that other people can inflict it on you without your being able to avoid it. So basically lighting up around guests, issues of nausea or dislike aside, is like inflicting something on them and then daring them to either leave or make an argument. Choose your metaphor – it’s like making everyone eat salt, without checking to see who has high blood pressure; it’s like making everyone hug the cat, without checking for allergies; it’s like sneezing on everyone when you have a cold; whatever. And believe me – smokers who don’t ask know darn well that they _should_ ask; this is the 21st century, not asking is passive aggression. Smokers are very defensive of their habit, having suffered a lot of ostracism for it, and they retaliate as soon as they feel challenged. My dad used to blow up in fury if anyone coughed, perceiving it as a cowardly way of complaining about his smoking without confronting him. God help the child who got a bit of food stuck in the wrong pipe – one harrumph and dad was stomping around refusing to make peace. Smoking around other people without asking is like handing out lottery tickets: “Win a hideous death!” You may argue that the odds are against any given guest cashing in that ticket – and the odds are pretty hard to calculate, you may be right – but you’re still handing them those tickets. People are going to feel uncomfortable about that, as guests, even if they’re too nice to show it. Both sides have rudeness and passive aggression to apologize for. And it’s possible one side is fibbing to exaggerate its cause. But only one side inflicted poisoning, smoke inhalation, and the cancer lottery on its guests. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doing-the-nasty-in-your-own-home-when-you-have-guests-over/478965/65 "2008-12-29T19:26:51Z")
Hijack, but an anecdote smoking-related culture clash: I was having one of my many, many housing problems back in Bulgaria and I got the handyman from my school to come over and fix whatever it was. He’s working away and I’m in my room when I smell…cigarettes. So I go check it out, and he’s puffing away. INSIDE MY HOUSE. Me: Wow, I was wondering what that smell was. Him: Yeah, I’m smoking a cigarette. _Continues to smoke._ Me: _Wondering if I can tell him to stop smoking. He is, after all, helping me out._ Him: _Continues smoking and fiddling around with broken whatever._ Me: _Gives up and goes back to bedroom._ I don’t miss this shit at ALL. America is awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doing-the-nasty-in-your-own-home-when-you-have-guests-over/478965/66 "2008-12-29T19:34:19Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I smoke cigars in my own home… out on the porch. I choose to do this because I don’t like how the smell of cigar smoke lingers in a room and on upholstery for days after the smoke, and as a once-a-week smoker, it doesn’t seem like a big deal to me. When I’m visiting here, for similar reasons, I smoke cigars on the patio or in the garden. > > But I would react poorly to someone who came into my home, saw my humidor, and said, “I hope you don’t think you’re going to smoke one of those in here!” Certainly reasonable, and I wasn’t implying you had some kind of right to. I am a cigar smoker banished to the patio or the garage (when it’s cold) in my house too. In my fantasy world, though, there are certain places (DR, Nicaragua, Honduras, Cuba) where the streets would be filled with kindred spirits, offering me lights as I pulled a cigar from my pocket, wherever I happened to be, indoors or outdoors. Oh, and every cigar would be fantastic, too! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doing-the-nasty-in-your-own-home-when-you-have-guests-over/478965/67 "2008-12-29T20:07:55Z")
[QUOTE=elucidator] Will anyone who truly believes that friend Bricker did not intend to entice Dopers with his title’s salacious wording, with its promise of hot Republican sex, please contact me soonest…. [/QUOTE] Oh, **elucidator** , if you obeyed the OP’s admonition to get your mind out of the gutter, you’ve not gotten a tenth of the fun out of this thread that you should. Consider – instead of the dull and predictable rehash chasing the manners and morals of smoking and anti-smoking all ‘round the mulberry bush, you could, with half-closed eyes, have gotten this: **QED:** “I’d have gladly abstained or gone outside to **do the nasty** if a guest politely requested that I do so….” **Sublight:** “one of the few upshots of having had **a disease contracted by doing the nasty** is that now I simply have to clear my throat and ( **everyone in the office stops doing it** )….In any case, I advise staying on the sidelines. It doesn’t sound like getting involved will have a positive effect for anyone, least of all you….” **Chief Pedant:** “Medical conditions exacerbated by casual nearby **doing the nasty** are largely BS….Stay on the sidelines and just enjoy the show. That’s what Christmas family gatherings are all about.” **Chimera:** “Hell, I don’t like **doing the nasty** , but in other people’s cars I’ll give my approval if they ask - because it’s their car - as long as they open their window.” **Shayna:** “About 1/3 of my Danish family **does the nasty**. I used to **do the nasty**. We would visit every year at Christmas and the house was constantly filled with **doing the nasty** , as it was the central gathering point for several big family gatherings during the week. We stay with my in-laws….I quit **doing the nasty** in 2002. The first visit after I quit didn’t really bother me, as I recall. The next visit, however, was absolutely torturous….I ended up in bed with a fever, coughing up green phlegm….But what was I to do? It’s their house, and my father-in-law has every right to **do the nasty** in it if he pleases….Well, my mother-in-law….simply declared her house a non- **doing the nasty** house during our visits. Visitors could **do the nasty** outside or not at all. Since she doesn’t **do the nasty** , she actually loved being able to have a week with a **doing the nasty** -free house herself!” **Martha Medea:** “As a nation, Dominicans are not tolerant of **doing the nasty**. People like Bricker’s SIL are the exception. Dominicans won’t object if someone **does the nasty** in an open-air setting, but some may make disapproving comments. **Doing the nasty** indoors is practically unheard of.” **BigNik:** “I live in the Inner West of Sydney. **Doing the nasty** indoors is almost unheard of in my social circle….This applies for **doing the nasty** with anything, too - if you want to **do the nasty** you do it out in the back-yard or on the balcony….” **Kambukta:** “Are you serious **Lynn** that, even despite requests not to, your guests still **do the nasty** in your house?” **Lynn Bodoni:** “They are my inlaws. They are NOT my friends….Congratulations on quitting. My husband had to quit several times before it took but he finally managed it. Now he says that he feels rich whenever he realizes that he DOESN’T have to have that money set aside….” ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doing-the-nasty-in-your-own-home-when-you-have-guests-over/478965/68 "2008-12-29T20:12:54Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > \ > > **featherlou** , I realize that not going creates its own set of problems. What I’m saying is that if you do the cost/benefit analysis, and decide to go… well, there you are. I host, and I’d prefer not to have to listen to small children screaming and my brother in law ranting all day, let alone stay up half the night cleaning up, but NOT hosting would mean going to one of their places instead, and… well, there are reasons I’d rather not. We’re both allowed to bitch about the inconvenience, but we’d be silly to expect people to cease any and all habitual behavior that annoys us, and **I’m pretty sure that the screaming and ranting and cleaning have no more long-term effects on my health than the smoke has on yours.** - bolding mine Cigarette smoke is carcinogenic, which means \*a single exposure \*can result in cancer. In fact, smoking is significantly more carcinogenic than asbestos exposure. Unless you are suggesting that screaming and ranting and cleaning carry the same potential to kill you as a known cancer-causing agent, I suspect that you have been misinformed. Following up on \*\*featherlou’s \*\* anecdote, I think for next year I might ask for a Christmas Eve smoking ban over there. My family is very old-school Irish, in that the wishes of a guest tend to be taken seriously and without question, so a request for a smoke-free environment might actually be accepted, notwithstanding the fact that the hosts are smokers, as are my uncle, his wife, and their two kids (one of whom had a cancer scare when she was 19, the other of whom has a 2-year-old daughter). And if not, we just won’t go, family relations be damned. Now if we can just get a ban on Tracey’s oldest sister’s hubby being an asshole, we’ll really be making some headway on the Christmas visiting front! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doing-the-nasty-in-your-own-home-when-you-have-guests-over/478965/69 "2008-12-29T20:15:55Z")
I’m a smoker (and an asthmatic, too!) and I don’t smoke indoors in my own home. I wouldn’t smoke indoors in anyone else’s home, too, unless they were lighting up. I do smoke in nightclubs (which are pretty much the only public buildings here where it’s still legal) - but I hardly ever go clubbing anymore anyway. > [@](#): > > Cigarette smoke is carcinogenic, which means a single exposure can result in cancer. In fact, smoking is significantly more carcinogenic than asbestos exposure. CITE??? ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doing-the-nasty-in-your-own-home-when-you-have-guests-over/478965/70 "2008-12-29T21:27:50Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I’m a smoker (and an asthmatic, too!) and I don’t smoke indoors in my own home. I wouldn’t smoke indoors in anyone else’s home, too, unless they were lighting up. > > I do smoke in nightclubs (which are pretty much the only public buildings here where it’s still legal) - but I hardly ever go clubbing anymore anyway. > > CITE??? The [Alberta Asbestos Abatement Manual](http://employment.alberta.ca/cps/rde/xchg/hre/hs.xsl/2988.html)(the link to the manual itself, mid-page is a pdf) includes a graph on page 19 indicating that the risk of lung cancer as a result of asbestos exposure is roughly 7% higher than normal. Smoking increases the risk of lung cancer by around 12%. The combination of the two increases lung cancer odds by 70%. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doing-the-nasty-in-your-own-home-when-you-have-guests-over/478965/71 "2008-12-29T21:41:55Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > So **Bricker** again, what did the lord and lady of the castle think? Did they support Prince Smokey or Prince Toady or yell at both of royal pains? Just curious. It’s just my MIL; my father-in-law passed away two years ago. She was asleep and unaware of the fracas, and it’s not in either combatant’s nature to seek a ruling from on-high after the fact. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doing-the-nasty-in-your-own-home-when-you-have-guests-over/478965/72 "2008-12-29T21:46:01Z")
> [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](#): > > The [Alberta Asbestos Abatement Manual](http://employment.alberta.ca/cps/rde/xchg/hre/hs.xsl/2988.html)(the link to the manual itself, mid-page is a pdf) includes a graph on page 19 indicating that the risk of lung cancer as a result of asbestos exposure is roughly 7% higher than normal. Smoking increases the risk of lung cancer by around 12%. The combination of the two increases lung cancer odds by 70%. 🙂 I think that’s indicating that smoking increases your chances of getting lung cancer by 12%. That isn’t very much. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doing-the-nasty-in-your-own-home-when-you-have-guests-over/478965/73 "2008-12-29T21:47:46Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > But I would react poorly to someone who came into my home, **saw my humidor** , and said, “I hope you don’t think you’re going to smoke one of those in here!” The bolded part of that quote (a humidor!) reminds me uncontrollably of [a post I made to a **Bricker** thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=9111020&postcount=106) awhile back, where he was complaining about being given inferior Scotch under the pretense that it was the expensive stuff. I think the least **Bricker** can do is give us a video tour of his home, so we can all appreciate the accoutrements of true Gracious Living. ---
**Author:** ![Thom\_Yorke\_s\_Left\_Eye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@Thom\_Yorke\_s\_Left\_Eye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thom_Yorke_s_Left_Eye)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doing-the-nasty-in-your-own-home-when-you-have-guests-over/478965/74 "2008-12-29T21:58:05Z")
I never smoke in the house anyway. V 🙂 V ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doing-the-nasty-in-your-own-home-when-you-have-guests-over/478965/75 "2008-12-29T22:02:30Z")
> [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](#): > > Cigarette smoke is carcinogenic, which means \*a single exposure \*can result in cancer. I realize that **Really Not All That Bright** already asked for a cite, but the one you gave had to do with asbestos. I’m interested in being shown one cite (from a reputable source, 'natch) that states that a “single exposure to cigarette smoke” can result in cancer. So…cite? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doing-the-nasty-in-your-own-home-when-you-have-guests-over/478965/76 "2008-12-29T22:40:58Z")
> [@Digital\_Stimulus](#): > > I realize that **Really Not All That Bright** already asked for a cite, but the one you gave had to do with asbestos. I’m interested in being shown one cite (from a reputable source, 'natch) that states that a “single exposure to cigarette smoke” can result in cancer. > > So…cite? Secondhand smoke is a known human carcinogen - that means that it DOES cause cancer, but they can’t specify in what quantities, so the only safe exposure level is NO exposure. From [the American Cancer Society](http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_2X_Secondhand_Smoke-Clean_Indoor_Air.asp): > [@](#): > > The scientific evidence shows that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. You can’t say definitively that one exposure will cause cancer, but you also can’t say that it _won’t_. How many exposures in a lifetime do you need? Two? 20? 200? I’ll take my chances with as few as possible, thanks (especially with my family history of losing a sister to cancer already). ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doing-the-nasty-in-your-own-home-when-you-have-guests-over/478965/77 "2008-12-29T22:50:34Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I think that’s indicating that smoking increases your chances of getting lung cancer by 12%. That isn’t very much. How about [this](http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_2X_Cigarette_Smoking_and_Cancer.asp)? > [@](#): > > Each year, a staggering 440,000 people die in the US from tobacco use. Nearly 1 of every 5 deaths is related to smoking. Cigarettes kill more Americans than alcohol, car accidents, suicide, AIDS, homicide, and illegal drugs combined. > > Cigarette smoking accounts for at least 30% of all cancer deaths. It is a major cause of cancers of the lung, larynx (voice box), oral cavity, pharynx (throat), and esophagus, and is a contributing cause in the development of cancers of the bladder, pancreas, liver, uterine cervix, kidney, stomach, colon and rectum, and some leukemias. > > About 87% of lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women, and is one of the most difficult cancers to treat… > Based on data collected from 1995 to 1999, the CDC estimated that adult male smokers lost an average of 13.2 years of life and female smokers lost 14.5 years of life because of smoking. Personally, I’d call those numbers significant. YMMV. In the meantime, my point that smoking is more deadly than asbestos exposure stands. > [@Digital\_Stimulus](#): > > I realize that **Really Not All That Bright** already asked for a cite, but the one you gave had to do with asbestos. I’m interested in being shown one cite (from a reputable source, 'natch) that states that a “single exposure to cigarette smoke” can result in cancer. > > So…cite? From [this source](http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/tobacco/cancer), > [@](#): > > Cigarette smoke contains about 4,000 chemical agents, including over 60 carcinogens A [carcinogen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcinogen), by definition, is a cancer-causing agent. There is no safe dose. A class-A carcinogen (or Type 1 or A-1, depending on who you talk to) is known to cause cancer in humans. Cigarette smoke is defined as a Class A carinogen, ergo, a single exposure could, in theory, cause cancer. Now, wiki and/or [cancer.gov](http://cancer.gov) may not meet your definition of a “reputable” source, but if you’d really like, I can go do some more poking around tonight and find a more definitive source. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doing-the-nasty-in-your-own-home-when-you-have-guests-over/478965/78 "2008-12-29T22:59:25Z")
No one has ever to my knowledge linked a single exposure to secondhand smoke with development of cancer. For that matter, no one can say with scientific certainty that a case of lung cancer was caused by the victim’s smoking three packs of cigarettes a day for 50 years. The likelihood of getting cancer on the one hand is extremely low, at the other end of the exposure scale much higher. If you’re looking for proof that single exposures damage health, check out cardiovascular risks instead. Deleterious physiologic changes _have_ been demonstrated based on single exposures to secondhand smoke. > [@Really Not All That Bright](#): > > I think that’s indicating that smoking increases your chances of getting lung cancer by 12%. That isn’t very much. I love it when people make statements like this. It especially kills me when it comes from smokers whining about restrictions on their habit due to laws cracking down on secondhand smoke exposure in public. “C’mon…what’s a little extra chance of death? Won’t you let me smoke around you (wheedle)? How about it? Only a 12% extra cancer risk…that’s not so much. You _used_ to let me do it. It’s not fair!” (whine) Sorry, tough luck. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doing-the-nasty-in-your-own-home-when-you-have-guests-over/478965/79 "2008-12-29T23:17:43Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > Secondhand smoke is a known human carcinogen - that means that it DOES cause cancer, but they can’t specify in what quantities, so the only safe exposure level is NO exposure. > [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](#): > > A [carcinogen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcinogen), by definition, is a cancer-causing agent. There is no safe dose. A class-A carcinogen (or Type 1 or A-1, depending on who you talk to) is known to cause cancer in humans. Oh, fer fuck’s sake. I’m **not** going to derail the thread into a “dangers of secondhand smoke” hijack, so I’ll not post again about this. However, I’d point out that I asked for a very specific cite: namely, that “_a single exposure to cigarette smoke can cause cancer_”. Exactly that, which neither of you did. Now, I don’t object to the statement that **Jackmannii** put forth (i.e., that “_Deleterious physiologic changes have been demonstrated based on single exposures to secondhand smoke_”). I’ve read (some of) those studies and, while the affected population is extremely small (and, as far as I remember, only composed of those with serious health issues), as far as I’m concerned, those findings are fact and can be referred to as such. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doing-the-nasty-in-your-own-home-when-you-have-guests-over/478965/80 "2008-12-30T00:04:03Z")
ALL of our cites support the idea that a single exposure CAN cause cancer - that is what “no safe exposure limit” means. If you are looking for cites that a single exposure WILL cause cancer, keep looking. No one here has said that; it is possible, but not likely. A single exposure WILL damage your lung cells (including paralyzing your cilia), increase the carbon monoxide levels in your blood, increase your chances of developing an ectopic pregnancy, reduce the oxygen delivered to a fetus, and reduce fetal movement, amongst other things, none of which are things most people want in their lives. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doing-the-nasty-in-your-own-home-when-you-have-guests-over/478965.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doing-the-nasty-in-your-own-home-when-you-have-guests-over/478965.md?page=5)