# I Pit "I'm Sick Of The Smoke" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 8, 2005, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-im-sick-of-the-smoke/316196 "2005-08-08T22:03:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-im-sick-of-the-smoke/316196/21 "2005-08-09T01:17:49Z")
> [@LaurAnge](#): > > Me personally? Smoking triggers my asthma like nothing else. I cough uncontrollably even from the slightest whiff, and being exposed for more than a few minutes makes me wheeze for the next few hours. Jesus! I feel terrible for you! How can you possibly survive in any kind of an urban environment, being that sensitive to particulate matter? \* \*disclaimer: Sarcasm does not apply if poster has been to an allergist or other medical professional that has determined that there is an actual medical component to claim that is specific to tobacco smoke. Sarcasm is based on wishing that I had a dollar for every time that someone claimed to be allergic to something as shorthand for “I don’t like it”. ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-im-sick-of-the-smoke/316196/22 "2005-08-09T01:23:39Z")
Not ALL particulate matter. Cigarette smoke. Not pot smoke or hooka tobacco smoke. And no, I am not allergic. There is no immune response due to cigarette smoke. It does, however, cause my bronchioles to swell and tighten, ie. experience asthma symptoms, for which I **have** been diagnosed by medical professionals. ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-im-sick-of-the-smoke/316196/23 "2005-08-09T01:30:04Z")
> [@Binarydrone](#): > > … > \*disclaimer: Sarcasm does not apply if poster has been to an allergist or other medical professional that has determined that there is an actual medical component to claim that is specific to tobacco smoke. Sarcasm is based on wishing that I had a dollar for every time that someone claimed to be allergic to something as shorthand for “I don’t like it”. Worth saying again. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-im-sick-of-the-smoke/316196/24 "2005-08-09T01:32:53Z")
> [@LaurAnge](#): > > Me personally? Smoking triggers my asthma like nothing else. I cough uncontrollably even from the slightest whiff, and being exposed for more than a few minutes makes me wheeze for the next few hours. Yes, I understand that. The asshats that smoke in theaters, there is no excuse for that. You stated that when you leave the doors of your workplace, the people smoking outside are bothering you. I’m not sure where exactly this hospital is, but I’m interested in the laws of physics there as smoke is obviously the same density as the ambient air. Anywhere I’ve ever lit up the smoke not only drifted up, but always away if there was the slightest breeze. So I’m curious. When you leave is there literally a wall of smoke 5 feet thick that you walk through? How does it manage to suspend itself right there without moving? ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-im-sick-of-the-smoke/316196/25 "2005-08-09T01:33:55Z")
> [@Binarydrone](#): > > Worth saying again. In that case, thank you. It actually really does suck, and often restricts my social life. ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-im-sick-of-the-smoke/316196/26 "2005-08-09T01:37:13Z")
Well, **duffer** , when there are five people surrounding a doorway, all smoking, one is bound to get a good lungful upon passing through. And again, this bothers me (not only because of the inconvenience to me) because it’s illegal to smoke withing 50 meters of the door to the hospital. For heaven’s sake, there are people coming in and out with far worse lungs than I. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2005, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-im-sick-of-the-smoke/316196/27 "2005-08-09T01:41:01Z")
C’mon, the first few posts in this thread have **got** to be part of a big whoosh campaign. > [@zenith](#): > > More people ask before they light up and graciously take no for an answer. That noise you hear is from non-smokers, who’ve laughed themselves into a coughing fit. > [@](#): > > As a lifelong nonsmoker, I’ve noticed that smokers have generally become a lot more sensitive to us. Maybe in some parallel universe. Not in this one. > [@](#): > > It took years, but smokers have finally been educated to show us our due respect. See the later posts in this thread. > [@](#): > > What the Hell are these people trying to do? Alienate smokers and make them feel that nothing they do pleases us; and so give them the attitude of fuck 'em and smoke whatever you want whenever you want? Nooo, we wouldn’t want them to adopt _that_ attitude. :rolleyes: > [@jrfranchi](#): > > Smokers are much more aware, the carpets of butts that used to be outside every business is now in ash cans where they belong. Again the reference to some parallel universe. In _this_ one, the butts still litter the sidewalks, gutters and roadways, and I still see the philosophy of “The World Is My Ashtray” expressed by other drivers almost every time I’m out on the road. Mr. Scott\*, canna you get the anti-matter stream re-energized so we can tap into that parallel universe? \*R.I.P ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-im-sick-of-the-smoke/316196/28 "2005-08-09T02:03:02Z")
> [@LaurAnge](#): > > Well, **duffer** , when there are five people surrounding a doorway, all smoking, one is bound to get a good lungful upon passing through. > > And again, this bothers me (not only because of the inconvenience to me) because it’s illegal to smoke withing 50 meters of the door to the hospital. For heaven’s sake, there are people coming in and out with far worse lungs than I. All snakiness and sarcasm aside, I have 3 serious questions for you. First, you say 5 people “surrounding” a doorway. I picture 5 people standing in a shoulder-to-shoulder wall 8 inches from the door timing the exhale to coincide with a person just coming out the door. Is this accurate? How close to the door are we talking? Second, if you can’t smoke within 50 meters of an entrance, why isn’t the hospital enforcing it? In addition, why ban it a certain length from a doorway as opposed to establishing a very specific spot to herd the smokers to? Not everyone carries a tape measure and it would help to eliminate the “I didn’t know it wasn’t allowed here” factor. Third, if cigarette smoke sets of your asthma so easily, can’t you file something with the labor agency? Granted, I’m the first to rail against government forced bans on smoking in private businesses, but there is a vast difference between a hospital and a bar. These are genuine questions. Just trying to get a better understanding of what you’re dealing with. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-im-sick-of-the-smoke/316196/29 "2005-08-09T02:06:20Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > In _this_ one, the butts still litter the sidewalks, gutters and roadways, and I still see the philosophy of “The World Is My Ashtray” expressed by other drivers almost every time I’m out on the road. Ya know what I notice on the side of the highway and littering parking lots that’s more obvious? Fast food wrappers, soda bottles, grocery bags, paper towels. Ban everything disposable. That’ll make ya happy, right? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-im-sick-of-the-smoke/316196/30 "2005-08-09T02:09:07Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > Boy, I dunno. I’m not saying the negativity is a good thing, but I can’t really agree strongly with these two statements. Back when I was still healthy I went to a little diner every Sunday for breakfast. I went there because their food was excellent. However, most Sunday’s my pleasure in their food was lessened by the fact that they allowed people to smoke - and smoke they did. I gotta say I’m pretty tolerant of smokers - since both my folks were. You still could chose not to a patronize this restaurant, since you knew people could smoke. Actually, maybe they came _because_ they knew they could smoke while enjoying their breakfast. I know I would. > [@](#): > > But darnit, do you gotta smoke during while I’m eating? You bet. More exactly, I smoke during while _I_ am eating. Once again you can choose to go elsewhere if the restaurant’s policy displease you. Or ask the owner to change his policy. I’m not going not to smoke just because you decide to come and eat in a place where smoking is allowed. I pay for my enjoyment, not yours. > [@](#): > > Especially breakfast? I know some very courteous smokers, but I see more who don’t care and only go outside to smoke because it is a rule of the establishment. These smokers aren’t uncourteous. That would be you for complaining about people smoking in a place where they’re allowed to smoke, and being irritated because they don’t comply with your unreasonnable expectations. You put yourself in the situation of eating your breakfast in a smoking area. That knowing that you don’t like eating when people are smoking. Complain to yourself for your poor choice. ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-im-sick-of-the-smoke/316196/31 "2005-08-09T02:26:18Z")
> [@duffer](#): > > All snakiness and sarcasm aside, I have 3 serious questions for you. > > First, you say 5 people “surrounding” a doorway. I picture 5 people standing in a shoulder-to-shoulder wall 8 inches from the door timing the exhale to coincide with a person just coming out the door. Is this accurate? How close to the door are we talking? Well, within a couple of feet, usually. The particular door I’m talking about is maybe 8 feet across, which leaves ample room for people to stand staggered around it. This is not the kind of smoke saturation that will make me wheeze - not enough gets in my lungs as I usually walk through quickly and can’t really inhale the air in the first place. Unfortunately, along with my bad reaction to smoke, I smell it really easily, even at fairly low concentrations. > [@](#): > > Second, if you can’t smoke within 50 meters of an entrance, why isn’t the hospital enforcing it? In addition, why ban it a certain length from a doorway as opposed to establishing a very specific spot to herd the smokers to? Not everyone carries a tape measure and it would help to eliminate the “I didn’t know it wasn’t allowed here” factor. First question: I have no idea. In fact, they helpfully place ashtrays right outside the entrance, next to the big no-smoking sign. It drives me nuts. They do have an indoor smoker’s shelter (nice for winter!) but it is on the other side of the hospital (on the same floor) and I guess people don’t bother. > [@](#): > > Third, if cigarette smoke sets of your asthma so easily, can’t you file something with the labor agency? Granted, I’m the first to rail against government forced bans on smoking in private businesses, but there is a vast difference between a hospital and a bar. I could. But it seems pretty clear the hospital is not **that** interested in complying. I did hear that a smoke inspector visited last month and handed out hefty fines, so hopefully we’ll get more serious on it. Ironically enough, I work for occupational health and safety. All of us are on board with the movement to move smoking to allowed areas, but the truth is that, well, Quebec is a smoker’s society. Most people don’t care, and laws like the 50-meters law are a formality. Truthfully, I hope one day all Montreal smokers will fit the description of the OP. As it is, most (although not all) certainly do not. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-im-sick-of-the-smoke/316196/32 "2005-08-09T02:26:26Z")
> [@zenith](#): > > More people ask before they light up and graciously take no for an answer. > [@clairobscur](#): > > I’m not going not to smoke just because you decide to come and eat in a place where smoking is allowed. I pay for my enjoyment, not yours. > [@zenith](#): > > Stop the negativity! We’ve won. Let’s be magnanimous in our victory! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-im-sick-of-the-smoke/316196/33 "2005-08-09T02:26:36Z")
Do you think this is rude? I took my friend out for his birthday. It was a Monday, and for some reason, all the fucking restaurants in this town are closed on Monday, it seems. So this was the only choice we could both enjoy, and it was karaoke night (don’t get me started-- I’d rather breathe cigarette smoke) so we sat outside. In the last available seat, I’d add. There was a low cement wall bordering the patio, and at least 5 times this same woman came and leaned against the wall to smoke. She was 5 feet away from us and the smoke blew right onto our table. More than half the meal was spent breating her smoke. She could have moved 20 feet to the empty storefront next door, but no, she could not lumber her ass that far away. She had to ruin my friend’s birthday meal. Why didn’t I confront her? Because it’s legal for her to smoke there, and my friend didn’t want me to make a scene. It’s just incredibly inconsiderate to blow smoke on people who clearly don’t want to breathe it (she faced the restaurant, not the street, for reasons only she will know). I used to tend bar, and I got into it with a smoker once who was sitting right in front of the sink. I was washing glasses, which had to be done. No one else was sitting at the bar, but he decided he had to sit directly in front of me and smoke. I could not move, but he could. I asked him to please move 10’ to either side of the sink, and he refused. When I told him he was making it hard for me to breathe, what with the chain smoking, told me I was a fucking bitch for trying to tell him what to do. The other bartender told him to leave the bar. He complained to the owner, who told him to apologize to me and asked him to move his seat. HA! People like the above two make the rest of your look bad. I’m just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-im-sick-of-the-smoke/316196/34 "2005-08-09T02:41:18Z")
No, **Ruby** , the one that looks bad is the owner. Why not set markings on the bar itself stating “No Smoking” 10 feet to either side of the sink? If you tell a reasonable smoker they can’t smoke at “this” part of the bar, but they can at “that” part of the bar, almost all will comply. What you were dealing with was an asshole. And there are plenty of the non-smoking variety I had to deal with managing a bar. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-im-sick-of-the-smoke/316196/35 "2005-08-09T02:42:58Z")
> [@LaurAnge](#): > > First question: I have no idea. In fact, they helpfully place ashtrays right outside the entrance, next to the big no-smoking sign. It drives me nuts. They do have an indoor smoker’s shelter (nice for winter!) but it is on the other side of the hospital (on the same floor) and I guess people don’t bother. The ashtrays are likely for people like me who walk up to the building and then look for a place to put my cigarette out instead of flipping it on the ground. (When I lived in Fort Collins, they had ashtrays built in the tops of the trash cans on the streets downtown. Wonderful idea!) It may not be that people don’t bother with the smoking area. They are most likely visitors who don’t know. Perhaps you could ask the hospital about better signage? “Smoking Area - this way” with great big arrows and everything. ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-im-sick-of-the-smoke/316196/36 "2005-08-09T02:45:53Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > The ashtrays are likely for people like me who walk up to the building and then look for a place to put my cigarette out instead of flipping it on the ground. (When I lived in Fort Collins, they had ashtrays built in the tops of the trash cans on the streets downtown. Wonderful idea!) > > It may not be that people don’t bother with the smoking area. They are most likely visitors who don’t know. Perhaps you could ask the hospital about better signage? “Smoking Area - this way” with great big arrows and everything. You know, this is almost funny. There is a continuous audio message, played both in English and in French, which reminds people not to smoke there, as well as the location of the smoker’s shelter. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-im-sick-of-the-smoke/316196/37 "2005-08-09T02:49:30Z")
> [@LaurAnge](#): > > You know, this is almost funny. There is a continuous audio message, played both in English and in French, which reminds people not to smoke there, as well as the location of the smoker’s shelter. Well, you’re right. That is almost funny. I find myself unable to argue with you about that one anymore. They are shitheads. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-im-sick-of-the-smoke/316196/38 "2005-08-09T03:03:17Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > Well, you’re right. That is almost funny. I find myself unable to argue with you about that one anymore. They are shitheads. Holy shit, I forgot to mention the audio message. :smack: Though it’s English only. The outside sound system at our hospital has the same thing stating no smoking within 25’ of the entrance. There are plenty of ashtrays provided at this point for anyone entering and very few, if any, butts on the ground. In all the times I’ve been there the most egregious violation I saw was somebody maybe 15’ from the door, in the open and standing against the wall smoking. (It was -30 and the wind blowing feircly), but certainly not an imposition on anyone. And he snuffed the smoke before tossing it in the ashtray and entering the door. I’d have to agree they’re asses if they’re doing what you say. Maybe I’m spoiled living in a city that is filled with people polite to a fault. Perhapes I’m losing my jadedness. This makes me angry. Time for a smoke. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-im-sick-of-the-smoke/316196/39 "2005-08-09T03:05:11Z")
[QUOTE=duffer] No, **Ruby** , the one that looks bad is the owner. Why not set markings on the bar itself stating “No Smoking” 10 feet to either side of the sink? If you tell a reasonable smoker they can’t smoke at “this” part of the bar, but they can at “that” part of the bar, almost all will comply. He could smoke there, normally. I just happened to be washing a shitload of glasses that had built up because I was avoiding washing them… because he was chain smoking there. I kept hoping he’d stop, but he never did. The man was like a machine. That’s not a normal situation that the owner could anticipate, I don’t think. > [@](#): > > What you were dealing with was an asshole. And there are plenty of the non-smoking variety I had to deal with managing a bar. He was an asshole, wasn’t he? Or maybe he was upset about something else and that’s why he was chain smoking and so damn edgy. But he was ranting and raving about his “smokers rights” and how I was being a fucking bitch for trying to infringe on those inalienable rights. That’s why he makes other smokers look bad, IMO. I can stand smoke for short periods of time. The length of one cigarette at conversational distance is perfectly fine. It’s when I’m exposed to someone else’s smoke for a half hour or so, against my will, when I can’t prevent it but the smoker could, that I object to. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-im-sick-of-the-smoke/316196/40 "2005-08-09T03:22:42Z")
Not to hijack the thread back to the OP, but I quot smoking and I 've found that In can stand outside with my friends who are smoking and not want a cigarette. I can sit in a bar with my friends who are smoking and not want a cigarette (Yes, in New York State. I hope this post isn’t deleted). What I can’t do is watch an anti-smoking ad without wanting a **Goddamn Cigarette.** I have my emergency smoke upstairs, so if I fall off the wagon I get one stale butt, instead of buying 20 fresh ones, and I never think about it except when the stupid fucking commercials telling me not to smoke come on. There’s one where a guy (an actor portraying a guy, actually) claims he killed his non-smoking wife with his secondhand smoke. I not only note the faulty science, but also think about how much that guy must want a cigarette and, well lets not explore that any further. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-im-sick-of-the-smoke/316196.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-im-sick-of-the-smoke/316196.md?page=3)