IPCPR Dismisses 'Third-Hand' Smoke
The people who make, sell and enjoy premium cigars are wondering what all the recent fuss is about so-called third-hand smoke. It isn't just that the issue is far-fetched and implausible, according to the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association, it's that it was proposed years ago and few found it worth writing about until now.
Columbus, Georgia (PRWEB) January 8, 2009
The people who make, sell and enjoy premium cigars are wondering what all the recent fuss is about so-called third-hand smoke. It isn't just that the issue is far-fetched and implausible, according to the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association, it's that it was proposed years ago and few found it worth writing about until now. Why?
"Everyone is making New Year's resolutions at this time and this survey has given it a catchy name," said Chris McCalla, legislative director for IPCPR which represents more than 2,000 cigar store owners and manufacturers of premium cigars around the world.
"When it was originally introduced in mid-2004, it was just another obscure survey. No one paid much attention to it because it was regarded as silly as saying we should ban nail polish because it smells bad long after it is applied. Now that it has been given a catchy name and its publication in the January issue of a magazine about children has been reported on by international news sources, Google is showing nearly one million results for 'third-hand smoke' occurring almost overnight," he said.
The recent survey's goal was to 'find out if people who were aware of these harmful effects were less likely to smoke inside of their home,' according to its author. McCalla said that was "a hypothesis that assumes that so-called third-hand smoke has 'harmful effects' which no one can seriously believe."
McCalla suggested tongue-in-cheek that studies may next be done on fourth-hand and fifth-hand smoke, where people who touch the clothes worn by people who have touched the clothes worn by people who went to a cigar bar a week ago might be the object of scrutiny.
Getting serious again, McCalla pointed out that, when the original study was released nearly five years ago, neither the Surgeon General nor the Occupational Safety and Health Administration did anything about it.
"The Surgeon General's report in 2006 called most of its findings inconclusive regarding the effects of secondhand smoke, so how could they move against so-called 'third-hand smoke' when the recent survey had nothing to do with its scientific aspects? Also, if 'third-hand smoke' should be of concern to anyone, why has OSHA not addressed the subject? In fact, OSHA issued allowable standards for secondhand smoke in the workplace that far exceed that which one may find in a typical cigar bar or restaurant."
McCalla suggested that the best New Year's resolution for people to adopt might be the application of common sense principles and respect for one another's rights.
"Relax. These are stressful times. Enjoy a good cigar," he said.
Contact:
Tony Tortorici
678/493-0313
Tony @ tortoricipr. com
###
