To the editor:

As a resident of Lawrence, I am in favor of an all-out smoking ban. Secondhand smoke can cause lung cancer and can contribute to an increased risk of asthma. Everyone is vulnerable to secondhand smoke exposure in places such as restaurants and bars. Everyone has the right to breathe clean air.

ETS (environmental tobacco smoke) is the smoke that is inhaled from the tip of a cigarette. It contains most of the cancer-causing parts of a cigarette. As a nonsmoker, breathing the smoke from others, you are at risk for the same illnesses as smokers.

Ventilation (airing out a room or opening a window) does not eliminate the health problems of secondhand smoke. Just because you can’t see it, or smell it, doesn’t mean it’s not affecting your health. There is no ventilation system available that can eliminate the deadly carcinogens from a cigarette.

Jace Smith,

American Cancer Society, Lawrence