Capnophobia and Fumiphobia

Part 1 of 4

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Capnophobia and Fumiphobia Defined.

Capnophobia and fumiphobia are two terms that refer to an intense hatred, or fear, of smoking or having anyone around who is polluting the air in the immediate vicinity with tobacco smoke; whether from cigarettes, cigars, pipe, or from any similar process of smoke distribution. Such a phobia is considered justified especially when cigarette advertisements include warnings; such as, “Tobacco seriously damages health” [Source: EU Council Directive 89/622/EC] which is required on any tobacco-product advertisement in the Euro Union.

A second definition includes a fear of smoke exhausts from motor vehicles that are often blamed for causing so much pollution in the air.

Other non-European countries have the following warnings: Australia: “Smoking causes lung cancer, Smoking is addictive, Smoking kills, Smoking causes heart disease, Smoking when pregnant harms your baby, and Your smoking can harm others.”

Canada: “Cigarettes cause fatal lung disease, Cigarettes cause strokes and heart disease, Tobacco smoke causes fatal lung disease in non-smokers, Cigarettes are addictive, Tobacco use can make you impotent, Don’t poison us, Cigarettes cause mouth diseases.”

The United States: Besides strong warnings about cigarettes, there are the following: “Cigar smoking represents a significant health risk and is not a safe alternative to cigarette smoking,” according to the American Cancer Society (of the U.S.). “Teenagers and young adults may be particularly vulnerable because of the mistaken idea that cigars are safer than cigarettes.”

“Smoking three to four cigars per day increases the risk of oral cancer to more than eight times that of a nonsmoker, and smoking more than five cigars daily raises the oral cancer risk to 16 times that of nonsmokers, said officials of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

Additional U.S. warnings include the following:

“SURGEON GENERAL WARNING: Cigar Smoking Can Cause Cancers, Of The Mouth And Throat, Even If You Do Not Inhale.”

“SURGEON GENERAL WARNING: Cigar Smoking Can Cause Lung, Cancer And Heart Disease.”

“SURGEON GENERAL WARNING: Tobacco Use Increases The Risk Of Infertility, Stillbirth And Low Birth Weight.”

“SURGEON GENERAL WARNING: Cigars Are Not A Safe Alter-native To Cigarettes.”

“SURGEON GENERAL WARNING: Tobacco Smoke Increases The Risk Of Lung Cancer And Heart Disease, Even In Nonsmokers.”

With all of the warnings, one wonders why there aren’t more capnophobics among us. See “The Ballad of Salvation Bill” in the Capnomania section for a special poem by Robert Service and other important information about smoking.

Used with special permission from the cartoonist, Randy Glasbergen.

Other Words that Express a Hatred of Smoking

Excerpts of Reports about New Laws Prohibiting or Warning about the Dangers of Smoking; Especially in Public Places

• News of the latest extension of the various bans on smoking in California, which has one of the strictest no-smoking policies in the world, include: no cigarettes in bars, restaurants, public buildings, and some public parks.
• Now a Los Angeles city council member, Jack Weiss, wants to extend the ban to LA’s beaches.
• A small town, Solana Beach, down the coast near San Diego, has just voted for such a ban. LA may follow suit.
• Venice Beach, the city’s premier seaside area, remains one of the bastions of free expression in California.
• Every age, race, colour, creed, religion, gender and mode of dress and transport are there.
• There are also many smokers puffing away on everything that there is to be smoked. This would be the first place to be affected by a ban.
• In Palm Springs, the only place in the country where the average age of its inhabitants is the same as the average Fahrenheit temperature (80), on a tour of the Spa Resort Casino one of the most striking things about it was that all the gamblers wrestling with the one-armed bandits—mainly middle-aged women—seemed to be smoking.
• How could this be? Smokers in a public building in California?
• The casino is built on an Indian reservation and thus is sovereign territory.
• The casino reckons that if people want to indulge one vice, they might as well indulge another.
• Venice Beach is not, however, built on sovereign territory, so when the ban comes, smokers will either have to head out into the Pacific or quit.
• Perhaps the solution is for the tribal areas in the state, which have come under attack from Governor Schwarzenegger for their financial donations to the Democrats, to assert their sovereign status and allow the sale of Cuban cigars, public smoking, and the use of medical marijuana on their land.



• After September 30, 2003, companies in the EU can ship cigarettes to market only in packages that comply with new warning guidelines.

The European Union (EU) Insists on Strict Tobacco Rules

• After June 30, 2004, all cigarette packages sold at retail must adhere to the new rules.
• Other tobacco products have later deadlines for compliance.
• Warnings on cigarette packages are expected to change in an effort to catch the attention of smokers, especially younger smokers.
• On one side of a cigarette package, a standard warning covering 30% of the area must say either “smoking kills,” “smoking can kill” or “smoking seriously harms you and others around you.”
• On the other side of the package, one of 14 warnings will occupy 40% of the package.
• In addition to the warning on smoking and impotence, they will include: “Smokers die younger,” “Smoking when pregnant harms your baby,” “Your doctor or your pharmacist can help you stop smoking,” “Smoking can cause a slow and painful death,” “Smoking causes ageing of the skin” and “Smoking can damage the sperm and decreases fertility.”
• The EU Commission expects the new warnings to garner a lot of publicity for anti-smoking campaigns, with a major goal being to catch the attention of teenagers before they start smoking.
• In sort of a one-two anti-smoking punch, the Commission will issue a second smoking directive that will require manufacturers to put photos of cancerous lungs or other anti-smoking themes on cigarette packages.
• This new directive will likely take effect in 2004 or 2005.
• The concept of gruesome photos on cigarette packages had been successful in Canada.
• It is believed that such images on Canadian cigarette packages used on such packaging in Europe would convince some people not to smoke.
• EU Health Commissioner David Byrne’s plans to ban smoking in bars, cafes and restaurants across the 15-member European Union.
• Byrne and Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs, Anna Diamontopoulou are considering using safety at work legislation to enforce a ban, a similar approach used to enforce smoking bans in many U.S. cities.
• Not all Europeans share Byrne’s enthusiasm for stamping out smoking.
• “If smoking rules here were as strict as they are in New York, I’d emigrate,” said Sofia, a bank worker on a coffee and cigarette break in a bar in central Rome. “But a total ban would never work, at least not in Italy. We’re very good at getting around rules,” she added, shrugging.
• Byrne, already pushing through proposals to ban tobacco advertising and put gory pictures of cancerous lungs on cigarette packs, also faces official opposition
• Denmark’s health minister, Lars Loekke Rasmussen, said the EU should stay out of national politics.

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