Letter to the Editor: The aftermath of a sneeze

Tom Cardella’s column on sneezing could have been written by me, though less eloquently.

I have found sneezing in general to be abhorrent for as far back as I can remember.

Here are a few reasons: It exists from the mouth at a speed of up to 100 mph; its trajectory can extend as far as 5 feet; it excretes as many as 40,000 droplets into the air and can linger for several hours.

Don’t misunderstand; it is not the sneeze itself that I abhor, rather, its aftermath.

Sensible individuals negotiate their physiological needs respective to those around them.

But individuals who sneeze in any random direction they choose to, unmasked or thoughtlessly into their cupped hands, but do not sanitize them afterward, imperil us all.

Are we to “bless” them for projecting these contaminants into the atmosphere that the rest of us will inhale?

Pandemic times or not, these behaviors are unacceptable. Shame on those who practice them.

Now, my abhorrence has extended to coughing.

But that is for another column.

Tom?

J.R. LaPenta