> Occasional smoking is probably no more dangerous 
> than an occasional visit to New York City or Los Angeles. 

As one of the very few Bee-L readers who has kept a place in Manhattan since
the late 1980s, I can offer some first-hand observations.

Ever since the low-sulfur fuel regulations went into effect, one does not
see the rusty orange stain on the sunrise in the east any more.  When I
would drive and fly between points south and points north, this was visible
as far south as the MD/DE border in the 1980s and 1990s.  The air is visibly
cleaner in the greater NYC area.  I assume that some improvement has also
been made in LA, but they have a more difficult weather and terrain for
stagnant air masses.

Further still, we sample and send honey for analysis on a regular basis, and
except for specific events where the bees found a Superfund site (Green
honey with high magnesium and aluminum), and the time they found a
maraschino cherry plant hosing its spills into the gutter every day (bright
red honey that tasted like... you guessed it), we come up with zeroes in
every pesticide and every toxin that the labs can test for, a list of well
over 500 substances.

We invite anyone disparaging the environment of (and hence the honey we
produce in) the City to "put up or shut up".  Lab results from USDA Gastonia
for samples of bees, comb, and honey at 10 paces.  We are happy to compare
our hipster imposed, baby-stroller mom approved environment any time to any
other location, sure to have a less universal effort to do things like
implement composting in high-rises.  The trains are electric, the taxis are
going electric, the busses run on propane, the bike lanes.

It ain't perfect by  a long shot (the Jets and the Mets stink so bad this
year, one would think someone forgot to take out the garbage for a month),
but it is better than lots of places, many of them much smaller and less
fun.  Been to mainland China recently?  Thought not.  The air is so bad
there, low visibility makes even driving difficult.

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