Kerre Woodham: We've all got our flaws, so die and let die

Secondhand smoke isn't pleasant, but I have habits that are equally irritating to fellow humans. Photo / Thinkstock

I hate having to pass through the clouds of smoke generated by smokers gathered in the doorways of office buildings. Smokers are irritating in cafes, too. They may be banished to the outdoor tables but when the wind blows the wrong way, it's easy to get a lungful of second-hand smoke.

It's so much nicer waking up after a night out without the stomach-churning odour of cigarette smoke permeating from your hair and your clothes. All in all, I'm a fan of the smoke-free legislation but I don't think we need to go overboard. Researchers from the University of Otago have called for New Zealand to adopt the same sort of restrictions on outdoor smoking that Australia has enacted - namely extending smoke-free legislation to half of the outdoor areas of hospitality venues.

They say the fine-particle pollution is still high - even outside - and that inside, in areas closest to the outdoor smoking area, there are still high-pollution readings, too.

But surely if you're eating on the pavement you're going to be exposed to pollution anyway? If cars and buses are thundering past, spewing out exhaust fumes, does a bit of secondhand smoke really make much of a difference?

And although I can do without smokers getting in my face, I'm sure I'm equally irritating to my fellow humans. I might not like being downwind of a smoker while I'm out jogging but I guarantee he's not going to enjoy the sight of my wobbly, sweaty body as I jog slowly in front of him.

I would rather not have people smoking while I'm eating but they'd probably rather I wasn't cackling with my friends at a decibel level that could shatter glass.

We all have to rub along and put up with each other's bad habits. So long as my contact with smokers is fleeting, I'm willing to take a chance that my bad habits will see me off before theirs kill me.