Secondhand Smoke Effects Pervasive

The Most Detailed Statement by Surgeon General Since 1986

U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona today issued a comprehensive scientific report which concludes that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

By Marc Kaufman, Washington Post Staff Writer

Secondhand smoke increases the risk of heart disease and lung cancer by about 25 percent in non-smokers and can be especially dangerous for children living with smokers, according to a comprehensive report issued today by U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona.

"The health effects of secondhand smoke exposure are more pervasive than we previously thought," said Carmona, vice admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service. "The scientific evidence is now indisputable: secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance. It is a serious health hazard that can lead to disease and premature death in children and nonsmoking adults."

According to the report, the government's most detailed statement ever on 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.

The report found that nearly half of all nonsmoking Americans are still regularly exposed to smoke from others. It concludes that any exposure to secondhand smoke is a risk to nonsmokers, and as a result the only way to protect nonsmokers is to eliminate indoor smoking.

The last time that the surgeon general addressed secondhand smoke was in 1986. The Environmental Protection Agency and the California EPA have both addressed the issue since then -- concluding that nonsmokers were at risk for secondhand smoke -- but the surgeon general has generally be considered the most authoritative source on science and tobacco issues.

The report, The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, concludes that even short exposure to secondhand smoke can lead to immediate cardiovascular problems, and long-term heath problems and lung disease.

"The report is a crucial warning sign to nonsmokers and smokers alike," said Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt. "Smoking can sicken and kill, and even people who do not smoke can be harmed by smoke from those who do."

There are more than 50 cancer-causing chemicals in secondhand smoke, and smokers and nonsmokers in rooms with smokers inhale many of the same toxins. Because the bodies of infants and children are still developing, the report says, they are at special risk for secondhand smoke.

The report finds that even the most sophisticated ventilation systems cannot eliminate secondhand smoke and that only smoke-free environments are risk-free, and Carmona endorsed smoke-free indoor buildings as the solution.

He called the adoption of smoke-free buildings in many cities and states a major public health accomplishment that has had enormous positive effects. He said that levels of cotinine, a biological marker for secondhand smoke exposure, have fallen by 70 percent in nonsmokers since the late 1980s.

The report does not present new scientific data, but rather is a compilation of the best research on secondhand smoke.

"This report once and for all ends any scientific debate about whether exposure to secondhand smoke is a cause of serious diseases like lung cancer and heart disease," Matthew Myers of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said in a statement.

The report, he said, "leads to one inescapable conclusion: Only comprehensive smoke-free workplace laws can protect all workers and the public from the serious, proven health risks of secondhand smoke. The report's conclusions make the need for strong and immediate action clear: It's time to protect everyone's right to breathe clean air."

The tobacco industry has tried to minimize the scientific findings on environmental tobacco smoke, the report said.

"The industry has funded or carried out research that has been judged to be biased, supported scientists to generate letters to editors that criticized research publications, attempted to undermine the findings of key studies, assisted in establishing a scientific society with a journal, and attempted to sustain controversy even as the scientific community reached consensus," the report said.

Copies of The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report are available on the Surgeon General's Web site at www.surgeongeneral.gov.

Click here to read more on this subject

-----------------------------------------------

Click here to go back

Please use your browser's back button to return to the previous page, or go directly to the SmokeFreeSociety.org Home Page