So, this is my first rant in quite a while. But I was watching TV one night with my brother, Sam, and one of those
anti-smoking commercials came on. This one had a "chemist" working in a lab...decked out in his lab gear, gas mask and
all. A voice says something about how he works in a lab, and how acetone is in tobacco smoke and how acetone is in the
lab. I'm sure you have all seen it. It paints the picture that this chemical, acetone, is deadly and that we are
all slowly being killed by the evil, devilish people who smoke. That, my friends, is a lie.
Acetone is a chemical with the make up of (CH3)2CO. It is used in labs to wash glassware. When I was in Organic
Chemistry II, me and nearly every person in the lab (about 50 people in all) used acetone like it was water to clean stuff
off glassware that water just wouldn't get off. We probably used about a liter or two in every lab (and there were three
total labs). The thing I am getting to is that acetone is not dangerous. It's not water or anything, but it will
not kill you to look at it or breathe it or touch it.
According to the labels on the bottle, acetone can cause irritation if inhaled too often in too short of time.
But you would have to be in an air tight closet with the stuff. It's like ether, it can make you drowsy and stuff.
If you drink it it might cause your throat to hurt too. Well, how often do you drink cigarette smoke? Yeah, never,
that's right.
The thing is, Michael Moore did this commercial. I loved Michael Moore after I saw Bowling for Columbine.
I loved Michael Moore after his Oscar speech. But I saw this commercial (and confirmed that he not only voiced it, but
directed it) and my respect fell like the stock market in the 1920's. To have a complete disreguard for research like
that was terrible. I expect more of Michael Moore. I expect him to do, oh what is it called, research? It
took me about 30 seconds to find the necessary info about acetone on-line. Ever hear of google.com Mr. Moore?
I mean, I hate all anti-smoking commercials. There was a great South Park on a while ago where the kids were sitting
at some stupid anti-smoking convention in school, bored out of their minds. They went behind the school and started
to smoke just so they didn't want to be like the morons they saw at school. I feel the same way.
I don't condone smoking and I think it's stupid, but come on! If you want me to trust you enough to not smoke,
please do your reserach. Are you listening Mr. Moore?
