Likely, But Implausible

As freedom of speech and scientific rigor increasingly collide in the media, it is apparent to those of us paying attention that the precision of the scientific method comes in a distant second to the enthusiasm of activists with a cause. TCS Daily comments on the phenomenon.

Likely, But Implausible: Adjective creep amounts to increasing the strength of a finding as it is condensed, simplified and becomes more widely disseminated. It is much like what happens to rumors as they pass from person to person, with each person embellishing on what the previous gossip has told them. One minute Mary sniffles, the next her husband is getting condolences on her passing from pneumonia. In scientific circles there is lot of that disease going around.

Author Duane D. Freese points out a classic example of unjustifiable exaggeration by none other than our very own Surgeon General of the United States, Richard Carmona, proselytizing on second hand cigarette smoke.

Carmona took these deadly findings of chronic exposure, and took increased risk up a notch. He proclaimed: "We know that secondhand smoke harms people's health, but many people assume that exposure to secondhand smoke in small doses does not do any significant damage to one's health. However, science has proven that there is NO risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Let me say that again: there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke."

He went on to say: "Breathing secondhand smoke for even a short time can damage cells and set the cancer process in motion. Brief exposure can have immediate harmful effects on blood and blood vessels, potentially increasing the risk of a heart attack."

None of this appeared in the actual report, for which Michael Siegel, a physician and anti-smoking advocate, took exception, because it diminished legitimate tobacco control efforts and spurred specious ones -- such as police contemplating charging smoking parents with child abuse.

There is difference between “acute” and “chronic” exposure to anything. The whole second hand smoke scare is just that, scare tactics. Want proof? Call your Doctor, explain you walked by smokers on the sidewalk and demand the currently accepted medical treatment for smoke inhalation. Make sure to accept nothing less than a prescription for in-home oxygen.