Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Secondhand Smoke is Making Me Sick and Angry

Also called: Environmental tobacco smoke, Passive smoking, Tobacco smoke pollution

You don't have to be a smoker for smoking to harm you. You can also have health problems from breathing in other people's smoke. Secondhand smoke is the combination of smoke that comes from the burning end of a cigarette, cigar or pipe and the smoke exhaled by the smoker. Secondhand smoke contains more than 50 substances that can cause cancer. Health effects of exposure to secondhand smoke include lung cancer, nasal sinus cancer, respiratory tract infections and heart disease.

There is no safe amount of secondhand smoke. Children, pregnant women, older people and people with heart or breathing problems should be especially careful.

via MedlinePlus: Secondhand Smoke.

1/28/2009:  I feel so crappy right now, and I am  mad as hell. I am sore all over, I have swollen glands, headache, and sore throat. I had another blood test today, this time for mono.  I have been sick for a month and I've missed week after week  of work. I believe the reason is my unhealthy environment at home.

I have a shared attic space in my condo, and I am unable to escape secondhand smoke from my neighbor. I've tried everything. No contractor can seal the shared attic. The management company won't do anything. The neighbor feels he has the right based on his lease. The Home Owners Association won't do anything.

If someone attacks you physically, you can fight back physically, or you can run. You can call the police, even for noise complaints. Do you know how rare it is to die from noise!?  If someone damages your throat and lungs night after night with over 50 cancer causing chemicals in your own home causing you to cough up blood, have pus coming out of your eye from secondary infections, however, no one gives a rat's ass.

After a month of this BS there could already be permanent damage to my long term health. My next step is to fight this by filing a complaint via my county health department. I may also sue the owners and the HOA for failing to uphold the regulations concerning neighbor nuisances. Damn I'm so mad. I spend so much of my time and hard earned money on my health and it is all shot by this.

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