Works Cited

"CDC-Data & Statistics." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, June 2007. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. <http://www.cdc.gov/datastatistics/archive/second-hand-smoke.html>.

 

"Dangers of Second-hand smoke." Smokefree Bristol Alliance. Bristol Alliance, 2009.  Web. 10 Nov. 2010. <http://www.smokefreebristol.org/second-hand-smoke-dangers.html>.

 

Harris, Gardiner.  "F.D.A. Unveils Proposed Graphic Warning Labels for Cigarette Packs." New York times. New York Times, 10 Nov. 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/11/health/policy/11tobacco.html?scp=1&sq=effect%20of%20smoking%20ban%st-cse>.

 

 Hurt, Richard D. "Will an Air Purifier Remove Cigarette Smoke?" Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 02 Mar. 2010. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/air-purifier-smoke/AN02073>.

 

"Quit Smoking Treatments | Quit Smoking Blog." Quit Smoking Blog - How To Quit Smoking. 19 July 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. <http://www.deepturtle.net/category/quit-smoking-treatments>.

 

"Report: Ban Smoking in Public Places - Health - Addictions - Msnbc.com."  Breaking News, Weather, Business, Health, Entertainment, Sports, Politics, Travel, Science, Technology, Local, US & World News- Msnbc.com.  Associated Press, 27 June 2006. We. 10 Nov. 2010/ <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13569976/>.

 

Ryan, Jason. "Surfside Won't Allow Smoking on the Sand Beginning in October."EBSCOhost. The Sun News, 26 July 2007. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. <http://web.ebscohost.com/src/detail?vid=1&hid=15&sid=8d45ee35-c9d0-4e59-a170-0b69ca35ef8d%40sessionmgr15&bdata=JnNpdGU9c3JjLWxpdmU%3d#db=nfh&AN=2W62W63080094945>.

 

Secondhand Smoke and Cancer - National Cancer Institute." National Cancer Institute -   
Comprehensive Cancer Information. National Cancer Institute, 29 Oct. 2010. Web. 03 Nov. 2010. <http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Tobacco/ETS>.

 

Singh, Bhupinder.  Blogger, 08 Feb.  2010.  Web.  09 Nov. 2010.  
<http://bskhalsa.blogspot.com/2010/02/sggs-jeeo-726-pan-supari-khatia-mukh.html>.

Reflection Paragraph on Process

While conducting my research, I had so many emotions running through my head it was hard to keep track. First I felt confused; I was confused because I couldn't see how anyone could put nonsmokers through so much physical danger. I was also a little mad that people knew about how much danger secondhand smoke was to others, but no one was doing anything about it. And finally I was a little sad that even little kids, who are affected the most, who have smokers for parents that smoke around them. These kids have no voice against the fact that they are being forced to breathe unhealthy, dirty air. Conducting research on this topic was definitely a challenge. It was hard to find articles that weren't biased, or that actually pertained to my topic. The thing that I enjoyed most about this was making the Animoto to promote my blog, and also just learning new things every single day about how secondhand smoke endangers everyone's lives. If I were to do thing project again, I would probably get my blog posts done early. I would do this so that I would have ample time to make sure that they were written to the best of my ability. By doing this I would also have been able to enjoy working on my project a lot more because I wouldn't be stressing to get the work done on time.

Reflection Paragraph on Sources

In the midst of conducting my research, I didn't have very much trouble finding useful and credible sources. It was fairly easy to find information on the effects of secondhand smoking and what that is. But it was a little harder to find information on the effects of having a ban on smoking in public places; finding information dealing with South Carolina specifically was definitely a challenge. The most useful source that I encountered during my research would probably be Mayo Clinic. It had a lot of useful information on the health aspect of my topic. On that website is where I learned a lot of my information about what secondhand smoke really does to you. The most trustworthy source that I used was EBSCO host. It is the most trustworthy because it isn't just your average Google search. This search engine pulls information from the latest and most trusted web articles and newspapers. However, the sources that displayed obvious bias were the ones that were mainly MSNBC because most of the articles dealing with my topic on that site were editorials. But for the most part, overall, my research on whether South Carolina should place a ban on smoking in public places was a success.

Wordle #1 based on useful site

Source:
"Report: Ban Smoking in Public Places - Health - Addictions - Msnbc.com."  Breaking News, Weather, Business, Health, Entertainment, Sports, Politics, Travel, Science, Technology, Local, US & World News- Msnbc.com.  Associated Press, 27 June 2006. We. 10 Nov. 2010/ <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13569976/>.

Reflection Paragraph on Findings

    In the process of researching my topic of smoking in public places, I was educated on the various pros and cons of having a ban on smoking in public places. There were many cons to having a ban; however, I believe that having one in South Carolina is still a good idea. The most important facts that I learned would probably be about how secondhand smoke affects your body. I learned that not only does secondhand smoke cause you to have trouble breathing and to have a sore throat, but it causes cancer, lung disease, asthma, and many other life-threatening diseases. To me, the most surprising facts were about how big of a problem secondhand smoke is everywhere. There is about 126 million people exposed to secondhand smoke in the US currently (CDC-Data & Statistics). I also found the fact that secondhand smoke is so damaging to your health. I had no idea that secondhand smoke took such a toll on the overall quality of your life. Also how easy it is to avoid the problem entirely by just smoking outside and not around other nonsmokers. Another thing that was shocking to me was the amount of young children that are exposed to secondhand smoke. I can't understand why a parent would even think about smoking around their child, let alone do it. Some questions that I still have are, the obvious one, will South Carolina ever adopt the ban on smoking in public places that so many other states have? Would it help the cause if smokers were more educated on the affects of secondhand smoking? Would placing a ban on smoking in restaurants and other public places really reduce the amount of tourists that come to South Carolina? After conducting research on my topic, I still feel just as strongly if not more than I did when I first started out. I believe more now than ever that there should be a ban on smoking in public places because by just doing that the number of secondhand smoke related illnesses and deaths would be decreased immensely.

Finding Paragraph #3

The last question I ask is, "is a ban on smoking in public places in South Carolina plausible?" The answer is yes. I believe that having a ban on smoking in public places in South Carolina is plausible. Even though it may take a while, maybe even a couple years, it can still happen. Having this ban is plausible for three reasons. The first reason is that yes, people would be upset, but they will get over it (EBSCO host). They will realize that by just going outside to smoke they are saving so many others lives. Since some smokers probably are ignorant to the fact that secondhand smoke is so fatal, and how much harm it causes, when they are educated of these facts most will probably be more than willing to spare nonsmokers and others around them by just going outside. The second reason is 47 states already have a ban on smoking already. If the majority of the states in the United States already have this ban and it is working effectively, I think that South Carolina will be just fine. The third and final reason is that some restaurants and bars in the Charleston, South Carolina have put bans on smoking in their establishments; some restaurants Greenville, South Carolina have a similar ban as well, and they are both still thriving financially. Since some places in South Carolina have already taken the steps to a healthier community and succeeded, there is no reason that the rest of the state couldn't follow.

Finding Paragraph #2

Why is holding South Carolina back from pursuing the ban on smoking in public places? The answer should be nothing; But sadly , this is not the case. Even though there should be no question about whether having a ban on smoking in public places in South Carolina would be a good thing or not, there is. "There is good evidence that comprehensive smoking bans, like those in New York City and Boston, don't economically hurt the hospitality industry (Ban Smoking in Public Places). Basically this means that since so many people already go to those places a ban on smoking wouldn't really affect them very much. You can infer from this that they are saying places that don't have massive amounts of people would have a real struggle keeping their tourist industry if a ban was put on smoking in public places. Many people believe that because there is a ban on smoking in South Carolina, people won't want to come here; since most of the income gained is through tourists, our economy will suffer (Ryan). The state government is also worried that people will become very upset with the state and will complain. But honestly, there isn't a single decision someone can make without there being someone on the opposing side. Eventually people will get over it. Another setback is the fact that in order for a law or ban to be passed it must undergo a time consuming and strenuous process just to even consider getting it passed (EBSCO host). Although passing a ban takes a lot of consideration, manual labor, and reinforcement, it is worth it. So many lives would be saved if you weren't subjected to breathing in the toxins of secondhand smoking every time you went to a public place like a restaurant or bowling alley.