Portland Race For The Cure Draws 45,000 And Raises $2 Million

45,000 participated in Portland's Race For The Cure, to help support breast cancer research for the Susan G. Komen foundation. This was the most successful event held in America to aid women against this deadly disease.

While so many were willing to run in this race, and so much money was raised, still there were signs all over Portland of others who completely indifferent and were actively trying to undermine the efforts of those seeking to save the lives of women.

All over Portland, smokers continued to smoke in public places. This not only endangers the smokers, but the secondhand smoke continues to be a leading cause of breast cancer in America. A new study released in March in California cited a 90% increase in breast cancer amongst women subjected to secondhand smoke from cigarettes.

Secondhand smoke contains 4,000 dangerous poisons, 0% of which are good for humans. Secondhand smoke is inhaled through the mouth and absorbed through the tongue into the body and the poisons settle in all organs. Traces of nicotine drug markers can be found in the urine of children who are in hospitals for ear infection surgery to install ear tubes for middle ear infections caused by secondhand cigarette smoke. These poisons in secondhand cigarette smoke also reach the breasts and collect poisons in the milk, and mutate the surrounding tissues causing cancer. Yet few local or state governments have moved to ban cigarette smoking in public. The average nonsmoker who spends anytime outside has their body and blood stream loaded up all day long by those who smoke in public with the 4,000 poisons, not only causing tongue discomfort, burning throat and sinuses, burning lungs, ear infections, and other other short term illnesses that last for a few days, but also have years shaved off their lives by smokers. The Bible states that a human life is supposed to be 120 years. Yet many Americans live less than 80, and cigarettes are a leading factor.

Smokers currently murder as many as 73,400 nonsmokers each year in the U.S., as well as promote a loss of productivity and increased sick days by promoting an epidemic of asthma and cancer as well other health problems as a high cost of their dirty addiction to American society.

Cigarette companies deliberately put additives in their products to make them more addictive. And since the cigarette smoker is a form of drug addict, they often cannot control their nicotine drug addiction and are compulsed to use their drug in congested public places and cause much sickness and injury to nonsmokers such as those with asthma, or are allergic to tobacco products. One cigarette used in public could fill an entire hospital with persons with asthma or other health problems if enough persons sensitive to secondhand smoke would come in contact with the poisons emitted from this highly poisonous addictive drug delivery system.

The only way to protect nonsmokers and reduce breast cancer and other needless deaths and injuries in nonsmokers is to ban all public smoking and restrict it only to one's one home. And for lawsuits to target the cigarette companies making them liable for the billions in health care injuries and damage for the needless and negligent injuries and deaths to nonsmokers. And lawsuits against individual retailers and even individual smokers for health injuries would further help to prevent needless deaths. There are medical devices for nicotine drug addicts such as nicotine drug patches as well as psychiatric services offered by many health plans. And as many as possible of these drug addicts should seek voluntary psychiatric or medical care to prevent their drug addiction from promotting the continued harm and death of nonsmokers. But at some point, mandatory laws against public smoking, as well as court mandated nicotine drug treatment to curb public smoking need to be implemented.

Many very nice women who survived breast cancer, or who know or love someone who survived this terrible illness, gave up Sunday to sacrifice to save other women's lives. It's more than high time for smokers to honor their efforts and stop putting a cloud of cigarette smoke over the city of Portland each and every day. This beautiful city is not an ashtray or some sleazy tavern. Often the sky is grey in this city, which sits in a valley, and fills up like a bowl with cigarette smoke each day. Once honest efforts to put an end to this preventable cause of breast cancer, asthma, ear infections, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and other needless deaths is brought under control through law and lawsuits, Portlanders as well as all Americans will be able to breathe healthier and more children will find it safe to play outside.