Smokefree Pennsylvania presented a petition, which would fight for no smoking in public workplaces such as bars and restaurants.
Bill Godshall, with Smokefree Pennsylvania, explained that it’s annoying when smokers are allowed to smoke so close to non-smoking sections.

“Having a smoking section and a non-smoking section in a public building is like having a pissing and a non-pissing section in a public pool,” Godshall said.

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I don't know how long the interview lasted, but considering the importance Godshall attaches to himself I'm surprised he'd mention the stupid swimming pool analogy. That's what greenhorns in anti-tobacco spout from cue cards.

But he got me to thinking. Just how much difference would Bill Godshall make if he went around urinating in swimming pools?

I looked up and found that a healthy bladder holds up to 16 ounces of urine comfortably. I'll use that figure for how much the average person urinates.

I took the dimensions of my 2 1/2 car garage and figured a 4 foot water depth average would require 20,160 gallons to fill it.

So if Bill were to urinate (I don't know why a "health advocate" uses the word "piss") in my garage swimming pool he'd add 16 ounces to 20,160 gallons. The ratio of urine to pool water would be 1:161,344.

I don't know, would anybody notice that?

My garage isn't really a swimming pool so let me move on to a real pool; an olympic-sized pool: 660,253 gallons of clean water.....until Bill gets in to prove his point.

I'll even let Bill bring along 31.75 friends to help him prove it. That's how many people (32.75) it would take to achieve the same 1:161,344 ratio.

Or how about 65 people to make it 2 drops of urine for every 161,344 drops of clean water? I'm guessing it would take thousands of Bill's before anybody would notice the water tasting funny. I just think it's a bad analogy and not just for that reason.

As most people know, restaurants change the air so many times an hour. It's called ventilation. I've never been in a swimming pool and seen them change the water while I was there although I know they run it through a filter. Filtration doesn't work according to Bill and his fellow anti-smoker friends when it comes to air in restaurants. I wonder why they would think it works in swimming pools? I know they swim in them because they want pools to be smoke-free too.

Anyway, that's about it.

Maybe we can rent out a pool and invite Bill and his anti buddies for a pool party - all the while slowly adding urine to the pool - when they get out, we can let them in on the joke.

What these people don't seem to realise is everyone exhales which pollutes the air we all share. The difference is you can see where a smoker's exhaust goes and avoid it.

In a swimming pool there are also the dead skin cells of the swimmers, perspiration, air pollution particles, anti-perspirants, perfumes and after shave.

What exactly is "pee" anyway and what is done to it in a water treatment plant? If you think about it the water we swim in, bath in, and drink probably contains not only human urine, but that of dogs, cats, horses, cows, and the rest of nature. Is the air we breath any different? Is there a carbon based life form on this planet that does not exhail?

quote:

Originally posted by Bruce:
In a swimming pool there are also the dead skin cells of the swimmers, perspiration, air pollution particles, anti-perspirants, perfumes and after shave.

Mucus. You forgot mucus. LOL

Saliva too.

Oh, and feces. (Not everyone wipes good)

I LOVE that swimming pool analogy and have been using the dilution of urine immersed in thousands of gallons of water as my point for YEARS. It was funny, but once my daughter was taking swimming lessons, and the entire pool was evacuated becuse someone threw a Tootsie Roll into the water (similar to that movie...I think it was Risky Business...where a Baby Ruth was thought to be a floating turd). Anyway, I laugh when I think of those brainwashed nonsmokers who swim in lakes, with all the things contained within, who will hypocritally turn around and use the aforementioned "Swimming Pool" analogy.

Folks, folks, folks.......you're all forgetting what fish DO in water.....granted not in most pools....but anyway.

All kidding aside, squeezer makes a VERY valid point. The problem is the point uses logic, something anethma to an anti-smoker such as Bill Godshall.

I have a small pool - 3' deep with an 18' diameter (it's currently being filled) and to be perfectly honest, I would much prefer the kids who will be here this summer using it "pee" in it, than become the nanny-state facists that Godshall and his ilk are looking to create.

Since the first comment I ever saw eminate from the man, I've held my tongue (keyboard) in regard to his name.....and will continue to do so, except to say that it will not be Bill, but God who Shall judge all of us in the end.

I agree with the people who - now many years in the past - complained that for whatever reason it was important for them to avoid ETS but found that "non-smoking" meant little more than one seat away or one table away from "smoking".

Referring back to the original post. In NY a few years ago the issue was addressed by mandated air handling standards for "smoking permitted" areas in work places, restaurants, bars, etc. Of course the businesses that spent the money to comply honestly got screwed when the "know it all's" in Albany decided that even an outdoor table (even if next to a barbacue) with an umbrella was being too "kind" to NYS citizens who smoke. So biz, write off that money spent trying to accomodate the anti's.

Personally, I think there should be some standard owners can meet in order to claim to be "non-smoking" and if more protection is needed for the ETS phobic then biz could be required to post, prominantly, signage indicating the premises is "smoking permitted".

Other than public buildings no one has a choice about entering signage would work.

That has just started to be done with food. Listing that the product contains or may contain certain foods that account for the majority of serious food allergies.

Meanwhile, at the hotel level...one reason non-smoking rooms may smell of tobacco smoke is that there is no way the hotels can prevent people from smoking in their rooms (or shooting up heroin for that matter). The best way to avoid stale tobacco smell in "non-smoking" rooms is to be sure smokers can book "smoking" rooms.

And, another meanwhile, at the hotel level, no accomodation is made for the many people (many asthmatics) who are highly sensitive or actually allergic to animal dander. Hotels and motels that permit pets do not always disclose that fact up front and don't designate rooms. An asthmatic seeking a "pet free" room is more likely to be told a fairy tale than given the information they need to keep themselves safe. Note the "keep themselves" part. Information, individual decisions, no bans needed.