Sir, – While children are without doubt influenced by the smoking behaviour of others, the scientific consensus is that those “others” with most influence live closest to them, namely parents, older siblings and peers, rather than strangers.
As such, the notion of banning smoking in open public spaces, and the even more ludicrous idea of banning e-cigarettes, is likely to be ineffective and is not evidence based.
Better to embrace an alternative which is demonstrably safer than smoking tobacco, rather than pander to the hysteria of the scientifically illiterate. – Yours, etc,
Dr BRIAN AYLWARD
Rathfarnham,
Dublin.
Sir, – The problem with Dr Pat Doorley's (Letters, July 4th) idea about having a "a smoke-free campus" here, there and everywhere is that he obviously has not been out in the sticks as far as Cork and especially its University Hospital anytime recently.
The powers that be have designated it a “smoke-free campus”. The visitor knows this because loudspeakers near the entrance say so very loudly almost continuously.
It is probably just my imagination that it is smoke from cigarettes that triggers the loudspeaker, but certainly there is enough to do so, as typically there are half-a-dozen smokers there at any given time.
The blaring announcements are far more annoying than any cigarette smoke I end up inhaling. – Yours, etc,
FRANK DESMOND
Evergreen Road,
Cork.