Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

If you're out in public in France ('now laughing friends deride' that they spend so much on health insurance):

LYON, France, Sept 27, 2006 (AFP) - Cigarette smoke in restaurants, bars and even hospitals makes France's public spaces among the unhealthiest in the world, according to new research released on Wednesday.

In 42 percent of French public spaces, the air quality ranks as "dangerous" due to high smoke concentrations, said the study conducted by the Lyon-based International Centre for Cancer Research and the Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

Only five countries -- Syria, Romania, Lebanon, Belgium and Singapore -- performed worse, according to the 24-nation study, which looked at bars, restaurants and nightclubs, as well as train stations, airports and hospitals.