As an alumna of American University, I was shocked and disappointed to see The Eagle’s staff editorial opposing the proposed tobacco-free campus policy. The editorial claims “the justification for a smoking ban is not at all clear.” The facts, however, say otherwise.
The scientific evidence is clear: Secondhand smoke causes disease and premature death in those who do not smoke. It contains more than 7,000 chemicals and compounds, including at least 69 that cause cancer.
Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their heart disease risk by 25-30 percent and their lung cancer risk by 20-30 percent. Even just 30 minutes of daily exposure to secondhand smoke can cause heart damage similar to that of a habitual smoker.
As a place where students not only learn, but also work and live, American University should constantly be striving to provide a safe and healthy environment. Shouldn’t the health and safety of all students, faculty, staff and visitors be a top priority?
Health concerns aside, as a college that prides itself on being socially responsible, a tobacco-free campus policy is the socially responsible choice.
Tobacco has a profound impact on our environment. Cigarette butts are one of the most common forms of litter, with an estimated one trillion littered worldwide each year. They are washed into rivers, lakes and oceans from city streets, where seabirds, animals and fish eat them by mistake. Since their bodies have no way to digest the filters, they often die.
What’s more, the production of tobacco is also a large contributor to deforestation as a result of both the space needed for the curing process and the paper required to roll and package cigarettes. A cigarette-manufacturing machine uses four miles of paper per hour to roll and package cigarettes. And in Southern Africa alone, an estimated 345,943 acres of woodlands are cleared annually to cure tobacco.
The production of tobacco is also very much a human rights issue. The use of child labor in tobacco production is widespread in the major tobacco producing countries, and exposure to the chemicals involved in tobacco cultivation poses a considerable risk to both adults and children alike.
A tobacco-free campus would even help cut University costs. In these difficult economic times, any unnecessary budgetary items should be eliminated. Cleaning up cigarette litter costs U.S. universities as much as $150,000 a year, according to Pennsylvania State University.
In the end, however, approximately 80 percent of college students are non-smokers, and it is important that they and all students and staff be protected from the dangers of secondhand smoke. It’s time to protect everyone’s right to breathe clean air.
Megan Yarbrough
SPA, 2010
