Smoking

Press, 17 May 1989, Page 16

Smoking

Sir,—l was bemused by a report (May 12) that non-smok-ing cabbies were “angered” that they were being “singled” out by their employer for not allowing smokers in their cabs. A memorandum was sent to all drivers stating that if. they would not allow railway workers to smoke in their cabs then the jobs would go to those who would. This seems very logical to me. For those drivers to say that they are being victimised and do not have any rights is ridiculous. They have every right. They either take the work or turn it down! If they are not prepared to have smokers in their cabs, fair enough, it is their choice. What about the rights of a smoker though? Do they not get to choose? The whole smoking issue is now well out of perspective because of laws and rules. Whatever happened to common decency and consideration? I do

not pollute anybody’s air space on a Sunday morning with my lawn mower, nor do my neighbours. This is not because of legislation but because we have common sense and respect for each other. — Yours, etc., ALAN HENDERSON. May 14, 1989.

Sir, —With the current concern over dangerous chemicals and organisms contaminating foods, it is strange that we have no uproar about the pollution of cigarettes by the tobacco virus, which now infests the entire world crop. Its virulence is seen in the mosaic effect on tomato plants, of the same family as tobacco, and apparently spread by the handling of leaves by smokers. Relatively unknown 50 years ago, the tobacco mosaic virus has kept pace with the increase in lung cancer, and it seems possible for the virus to affect human beings by wrongly identifying cells exposed to it, particularly in the lungs of smokers.—Yours, etc., VARIAN J. WILSON. May 11, 1989.