Watching Television
By Aaron Ferster
One of the few television shows I watch regularly is Mad Men. I have to admit I find the characters thoroughly entertaining and the time period the show is set in an interesting study.
No smoking: It All Starts with Science.
Of course, that’s what the producers have in mind, using the transition from the 1950s to the 1960s to dramatic effect. As we now know, big changes are looming just ahead.
One example that always catches my attention: the smoking.
Holy cow! There’s barely a single scene in any episode that does not include someone lighting up. At work, in the car, at home, on the train, even around the main character’s kids, there is always someone enjoying a smoke. I sometimes feel like I have to open the window to make it through the show without getting a sore throat.
Today of course, we all enjoy smoke-free work, travel, and public spaces. That is, in no small part, thanks to EPA science.
This year marks the 20th anniversary since the release of Respiratory Health Effects of Passive Smoking: Lung Cancer and Other Disorders, an EPA health assessment that concluded that tobacco smoke not only presented risks to the health of smokers but also to those around them. “Based on the weight of available scientific evidence, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has concluded that widespread exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in the United States presents a serious and substantial public health impact.”
That conclusion sparked a revolution in thinking about secondhand smoke, leading to no smoking policies that are now ubiquitous—protecting millions of people in public spaces across the country.
To help spread the word about how such improvements really do, “all start with science,” we highlighted the connection linking EPA science with no smoking policies in our latest newsletter, and included a “Science Matters to Kids” companion article specifically for students. (You can download a pdf of the article to share with kids, at: http://1.usa.gov/IJ6xUD).
I think I prefer my job own job to any of those 1960s ad executives portrayed on Mad Men, and like millions of others, I’m thankful that I work in an environment where I don’t have to open the window just to stay healthy.
About the Author: Aaron Ferster is the editor of the EPA blog “It All Starts with Science,” and a frequent contributor.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
I definitely see your point. On one hand, tobacco was instrumental and became the foundation of the economic success of the United States. It was of equal economic value as cotton.
However, smoking, chewing, and inhaling tobacco products and smoke are confounding factors and associated with mortality due to cancer. As preventable as eliminating tobacco smoke is it’s discouraging on how difficult it is to break the habit.