When the smoke clears even secondhand smoke is found to be a killer

Jun 28 2006

Dr. Richard Carmona the American Surgeon-General has stated in a new report that secondhand smoke is a killer and smoking should be banned in all work places.

The report makes it quite clear that secondhand smoke causes premature death and disease in children and in adults who do not smoke.

The report, The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, says that even brief secondhand smoke exposure can cause immediate harm and the only way to protect nonsmokers from the dangerous chemicals in secondhand smoke is to eliminate smoking indoors.

The report is comprehensive and scientific and states clearly that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

It says secondhand smoke exposure can cause heart disease and lung cancer in nonsmoking adults and is a known cause of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), respiratory problems, ear infections, and asthma attacks in infants and children.

Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25 to 30 percent and lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent.

As as many as fifty percent of nonsmoking Americans are still regularly exposed to secondhand smoke, the findings are of significant concern for public health.

Carmona says at least 60 percent of nonsmokers in the United States have evidence of exposure to secondhand smoke in their blood.

The health effects of secondhand smoke exposure are more pervasive than we previously thought, says Carmona and no one should be forced to inhale secondhand smoke.

Parents who smoke cause respiratory symptoms and slows lung growth in their children.

A report last year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 3,000 people died every year in the United States from lung cancer, 46,000 died from heart disease and 430 newborns from sudden infant death syndrome, all caused by secondhand smoke.

Carmona says the scientific evidence is indisputable and secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance but a serious health hazard that can lead to disease and premature death in children and nonsmoking adults.

Secondhand smoke contains more than 50 cancer-causing chemicals, and is itself a known human carcinogen and nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke inhale many of the same toxins as smokers.

The report says that even the most sophisticated ventilation systems cannot completely eliminate secondhand smoke exposure and that only smoke-free environments afford full protection.

It is also impossible to protect non-smokers even with designated smoking areas and the report says a society free of involuntary exposures to secondhand smoke should remain a national public health priority.

Anti-smoking activists say the report is the most significant report from the Surgeon General on tobacco in the last decade and clarifies scientific debate about whether exposure to secondhand smoke is a cause of serious diseases.

The report says the tobacco industry has tried hard to cover up scientific findings on environmental tobacco smoke and have engaged in widespread activities that have gone beyond the bounds of accepted scientific practice.

Surgeon General Carmona says progress over the past 20 years in clearing the air of tobacco smoke is a major public health success story, and many thousands of cases of disease and early death have been averted and millions of dollars in health care costs have been saved.

Levels of cotinine, a biological marker for secondhand smoke exposure, have fallen by 70 percent since the late 1980s, and the proportion of nonsmokers with detectable cotinine levels has been halved from 88 percent in 1988-91 to 43 percent in 2001-02.

HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt says the report is a crucial warning sign to nonsmokers and smokers alike that smoking can sicken and kill, and people who do not smoke can be harmed by smoke from those who do.

To help communicate the report findings as widely as possible, the Surgeon General has produced an easy guide with practical information on the dangers of secondhand smoke and the steps people can take to protect themselves.

Copies of The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General and related materials are available on the Surgeon General's web site.