Secondhand Smoke Exposure Unusually High for New Yorkers

@ Reality Check and Mookie: You do NOT know this, and by stating it only proves your ignorance. When you get lung cancer, you'll be changing your tune.

"Nobody, and I mean nobody can get lung cancer passing by a few smokers for three seconds. Even if its every work day."

Hows about the people who walk down a wide uncrowded sidewalk yet feel the need to walk within 2 inches of someone smoking and then go and bitch about it, what about those idiots

Yes, that's right. There used to be rooms for people to smoke. They were called BARS. Then, you fragile asshats got rid of that, so we all have to smoke on the sidewalk. So, frankly, screw you.

And another thing, anyone who thinks that walking past someone smoking a cigarette is going to give them lung cancer while living in the middle of the worlds largest traffic jam is A-OK is not only a douche but stupid as well.

THANK YOU Mookie, it had to be said.

Some commenters here are confusing being annoyed by smoke with actually being damaged by smoke.

Nobody, and I mean nobody can get lung cancer passing by a few smokers for three seconds. Even if its every work day.

Non smoking fundamentalists already won. You already got smokers banished to be outside, this is a pretty good "compromise," especially since non smokers always steal the smokers' spots indoors. If non smokers want to avoid smokers, please stay inside where they're serving drinks and food and providing music, and let the smokers smoke away in peace outside in the noise, cold, snow and rain.

Maybe Bloomberg should make a move to eliminate smoking on sidewalks. I bet that would make a major lifestyle improvement for everyone.

Smokers on sidewalks come across as really pissed off and entitled since they were booted from buildings and I have seen them blow smoke at anyone from an infant in a strooler, pregnant women, the young and healthy, to eldery.

Wow, so you're telling me that the more densely populated an area is, the more likely other peoples' bad habits are to affect those around them? No shit!!!! This is some seriously hard hitting research, the kind that I could've told you about without some jackass needing thousands of dollars to fund a study. Yes, hard numbers of the levels of a certain chemical that we've never heard of help, but this is stating the obvious.

This article doesn't surprise me at all. You can get secondhand smoke exposure just by walking down the sidewalk.

It is really rude. I've been in building lobbies where people started lighting up indoors because it was too cold outside and the whole room started filling up with smoke.

Or people that smoke IN the door, with the door open. Obviously with the temperature differential, the cold smoky air rushes INTO the building, making the whole exercise of standing in the door completely pointless.

Cotinine is a chemical compound also found in Diesel Fuel Exhaust.

You show me the damaging results from my single cig in the wind.

And I'll point out the 1000s of vehicles driving everywhere which we inhale the chemicals from.

Get rid of the trucks and cars, then we can talk.

Gee, thanks for doing your part.

I know 3 people that died from lung cancer. One of them never smoked in her life.

It's a real problem.

If you've never seen anyone die of lung cancer, all I can say is that it's a very painful and suffering way to die.

I'm allergic to nicotine. I have bad reactions to secondhand smoke. I'm aware that cigarettes are addictive but I have a hard time feeling bad for people who cause me physical damage with their addiction. They can be so absurdly inconsiderate. I hate how people hang outside the front door of their buildings smoking and making a gauntlet of smokers for me to run through every day.

The number one most awful, however, was the time I walked around a smoker to escape his smoke, and as he swung his arms around for emphasis while talking on his cell, the burning end of his cigarette hit my bare arm and made a nice little round burn.

So true. Most smokers are in deep denial about their rude behavior and refuse to believe how much their smoking negatively affects those around them.

There used to be separate rooms for smokers. They were once called, Smoking Rooms. Shocking to some you, I'm sure. Now that the smartest people in NYC have mandated you cannot smoke indoors, you have to smoke outdoors and expose more people to second hand smoke.

Does it really surprise people that New Yorkers don't care about you and your second smoke allergies? And seriously, I would guess that living next to the traffic clogged freeways like the BQE will kill you much faster than a couple of breaths of second hand smoke per day.

Yeah but didn't you read this part: "Smoke doesn’t know to stop at a doorway. It fills the full capacity of every indoor location in which the cigarette is smoked."

"Smoking Rooms" won't help with that.

I've worked at two places that had smoking rooms.

A giant insurance company and a city agency. the city agency was an anomaly, the facilities director was a smoker and insisted on putting a smoking room for smokers during the planning stage.

the insurance co. was not really a separate room but a giant high flow air exchanger above one table in the break area. I saw a pipe smoker there a lot.

cotinine? that's why i stick to the chronic!

Well now we know how to beat the Chinese.

The worst second-hand smoke exposure has to be from those assholes who keep puffing in the dense walkway alongside Ground Zero on the way to the Path and WFC. Yes, we know we're "outdoors", but do you mind not blowing your crumby smoke behind you into my face, you spineless, inconsiderate morons?

Sometimes I'd like to fart in their face and ask them if they enjoyed it as much as I enjoy their smoke in my face.

I also have to do that walk from the subway to the PATH each morning and I would say that is where I get my daily dose of second hand smoke. I usually hack a cough right behind them allowing just enough space/time to pass by. If that fails, I'll throw an elbow.

i like to fake asthma attacks :)

Holden? Caulfield? From Pencey Prep right?