Residual Cigar smoke on clothes, affecting kids?

[Virginia Gent]

Autism's the disease of choice at the moment. I read an article the other day that stated 1 out of 150 kids or so supposedly had autism. It's funny how it was a little known disease less than five years ago, but now everyone has it. If smoking led to autism wouldn't about 90% of baby-boomers be afflicted with it considering the widespread smoking culture of WW2 and the decade or so after?

Oh, but I forgot that tobacco smoke is responsible for the ills of the world. Nevermind that the average American eats crap day in and day out, most of which contains chemicals they can't even pronounce. I'm waiting for the research that proves all the tobacco smoke falling from the atmosphere seeps into the soil and reanimates corpses and that we are in deadly peril of invasion from a zombie army led by Hitler.

Won't someone think of the children?

[groogs]

I think some of you are speaking to lightly about autism. I have a nephew that is autistic, and I hope none of you ever have to deal with an autistic family member. I do think it is becoming more and more common these days, and there has to be something that is causing it, although nobody seems to know what. I will say that I think what the docktor said is BS, but if you ever had to deal with an autistic child you would do whatever you could to avoid even the slightest chance of causing it to happen to you child.

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by groogs

I think some of you are speaking to lightly about autism. I have a nephew that is autistic, and I hope none of you ever have to deal with an autistic family member. I do think it is becoming more and more common these days, and there has to be something that is causing it, although nobody seems to know what. I will say that I think what the docktor said is BS, but if you ever had to deal with an autistic child you would do whatever you could to avoid even the slightest chance of causing it to happen to you child.

I don't think they are taking autism lightly, just the suggestion that tobacco odor on clothes might be the cause. I think we all know it is a terrible condition and a real hardship for the affected children's families.

[Finfan]

Originally Posted by uncballzer

Autism is just a bunch of correlations now. With her saying that, she's just as bad as those nut-job parents (no offense) keeping their children from getting vaccines thinking they cause autism, which creates a bigger risk than they're trying to prevent.

I'm calling BS on this, and I'm a med student....

I'm a doctor and this does seem extreme. I cant say Ive heard the correlation with autism and cigars, but cigar residue? hard to believe. like of course Im not blowing my smoke in my baby's face (I have a 3 week old). but i do hold him sometimes after Ive smoked and he doesnt seem to mind. as for the vaccines--now that Jenny McCarthy and Oprah are on board with how to "cure" autism, we should be all set.

[Fumioso]

It does seem counter-intuitive that autism, if caused by second-hand smoke, would be on the increase NOW. Kids are less exposed to smoke now than they ever have been.

[tobii3]

You gotta love the American Society as a whole.

Rather than actually IDENTIFY the problem, we'll just associate it with everything we feel is "bad" at the moment.

For example??

Let's see here....

Household Mold Doubles Kids' Asthma Risk


That was in 2005...

Mold and Mildew

hmmm.....

- Recent studies have linked mold to the rapid rise of the asthma rate over the past 20 years.

- A 1999 Mayo Clinic study implicates fungus as the cause of almost all of the chronic sinusitus afflicting 37 million Americans.

- Toxic molds can increase your susceptibility to a wide variety of diseases by weakening your immune system.

G-d Forbid we actually use scientific EVIDENCE to prove anything!!

Residual smoke is BAD!!!

And don't even get me started on how we have identified obesity as an "epidemic".

[c2000]

What a great big pile of steaming bullshit.. Unlike many of you on this board I grew up in the 50s and lived throughout the 60s and 70s and let me tell you,,almost everyone smoked,,people smoked at their desks at work, people smoked in the lunchroom, people smoked at doctors offices, people smoked in planes, trains and automobiles, teachers smoked in the teacher lounge, dads and mothers smoked in the car with their children in the back seat. I had a college professor that smoked a Candela Churchill while he taught class. I could go on and on but guess what, during this time there was not a pandemic of second hand smoke deaths and if it somehow causes autism half the world would be autistic.. Just a couple more,, I was in the Navy and we used to used a hacksaw on the asbestos insulated steam pipes to cut the insulation off to work on them,, asbestos particles everywhere,, I'm still here but if you have on feather of it in some school the whole school is evacuated.. One more, a few weeks ago a thermometer that had a blob of mercury in it fell to the floor in a local school releasing the mercury on the floor and a portion of the school was evacuated.. When I was in science class back in the 50s the teacher had a spoon full of mercury in a bowl and we were allowed to play with it,,I took some on my finger and rubbed it on a dime and it made the dime very shiny..I'm still here..
The current generation feels that there should absolutely be no risks in life .
Smoking is so demonized now that it is a probable cause for almost everything.

Jerry(glowing in the dark) in Minnesota.

[ultramag]

Originally Posted by groogs

I think some of you are speaking to lightly about autism. I have a nephew that is autistic, and I hope none of you ever have to deal with an autistic family member. I do think it is becoming more and more common these days, and there has to be something that is causing it, although nobody seems to know what. I will say that I think what the docktor said is BS, but if you ever had to deal with an autistic child you would do whatever you could to avoid even the slightest chance of causing it to happen to you child.

I don't think anyone is taking the issue lightly, it's the causation we call into question. I saw a study not long ago that calls into question the fact that many women are waiting longer to have kids now. The current thought is that this may be related to the up-swing in children with autism.

[Wang Lung]

I'm right there with you c2000. My 88 year old Uncle, who was a plumber in Kansas for 50 years has ingested more radon, asbestos, and lead than any pinhead the NIH would allow.

And he still meets with his posse for (God forbid) doughnuts and coffee every morning.

[Deucer]

Originally Posted by c2000

The current generation OF LAWYERS feels that there should absolutely be no risks in life .

Fixed.

[dennis569]

Jerry (in Minnesota)
Howdy in Mn. I'm from a little place called Hill City
(welfare capitol in Mn) It's in the water.
I'm almost your age (this must be geezer day at CS) and can relate to your
experiances. When I was young the prefered chewing material was a lead
fishing sinker. I gotta tell ya, this third hand comes in real handy! I can
smoke a cigar and pipe at the same time while driving a truck. (I haul explosives)(Yeah, really)
We have an autistic grandson. It's tough on the family, but all the
grandkids with one exception are pretty stupid so we're used to it.
I do believe we as a society are turning each succesive generation into
pussies. Bicycle helmets? Let's just all move to San Francisco and be
done with it.
Thanks for letting an old redneck rant but I see my 7 year old grandson
is having trouble lighting a Swisher Sweet, I'd better go help him.

[NCRadioMan]

Sounds like JASN to me.

Just Another Smoke Nazi.

Ever notice the more we are "protected" from ourselves, the unintended consequences seem to be worse.

[Ratters]

Originally Posted by groogs

I think some of you are speaking to lightly about autism. I have a nephew that is autistic, and I hope none of you ever have to deal with an autistic family member. I do think it is becoming more and more common these days, and there has to be something that is causing it, although nobody seems to know what. I will say that I think what the docktor said is BS, but if you ever had to deal with an autistic child you would do whatever you could to avoid even the slightest chance of causing it to happen to you child.

I work with kids with autism every day. The first thing to note is that all autism is is a set of symptoms that everyone checks off on a list and if the kid has enough they call it autism. It is not a specific "thing". But as for the rise in autism over the last 20 years, it is mostly a change in diagnosis, not an actual increase. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0408112107.htm

As for the cigar smoke residue, I think that's really stretching it. When I grew up we had parents smoking while the child was in utero and while growing up in the household, so if that held water you'd think we'd be seeing a decrease in autism while people smoke less frequently while pregnant and in the house. As for the vaccines, I'd be much more worried about measels and polio and all all these diseases that weve "cured" comming back than the mostly disproven myth that it causes autism.

[docmusolf]

I am a doctor and I call BS!!!!! Yes you should refrain from smoking next to the kids. Step outside. The residual left on your clothes is a lot less toxic than what most factory workers come home w/ after a day on the job. Link to Autism????? Thats a new one to me. Maybe grape juice does it to???? Or milk??? W/out hard evidence it is all speculation. The only link that I have seen that is sound are the old style vaccines. There are many many other chemicals that the kids will come in contact with that will be more dangerous than the residual smoke on your clothes. If you want more info or have question email me.

Brent

[D. Generate]

Originally Posted by Ratters

I work with kids with autism every day. The first thing to note is that all autism is is a set of symptoms that everyone checks off on a list and if the kid has enough they call it autism. It is not a specific "thing". But as for the rise in autism over the last 20 years, it is mostly a change in diagnosis, not an actual increase. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0408112107.htm

Absolutely. For those of us less scientifically inclined, the current issue of The Economist has an article addressing the 'rise' in autism. Autism isn't caused by vaccines or cigar smoke. They are just better at diagnosing it now, or more likely to lump conditions under the autism umbrella, depending on how you choose to look at it.

Kids are little humans. Humans have been messing with tobacco since at least 1492 as certain cigar labels tell me. The human species ain't that fragile.

As far as residual smoke affecting kids; I once smoked a Cohiba Siglo II in the garage and then went to see my 3-year-old nephew. Now he thinks all non-Cubans are crap and only wants Cuban residue. Damn residual smoke.