Recent News and Articles on the Keywords: tobacco + exposure + smoke  Related to the article below (Last Update: 8/5/2008)

Tobacco shares may not go up in smoke Business Daily Africa, Kenya - Aug 4, 2008 President Bush supported a situation where tobacco firms would not be made to pay individuals the harmful costs resulting from tobacco smoking as was ... Ontario Now Linking Global Youth Tobacco Survey 2003 and 2006 Data to Tobacco ... RedOrbit, TX - Aug 3, 2008 ... to establish surveillance programs of "the magnitude, patterns, determinants, and consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke. ... Medication, counseling, insurance coverage help smokers quit Abilene Reporter-News Comment by M. Cass Wheeler Chief Executive Officer,American Heart Association all 557 news articles » Tobacco Use a Deadly Choice for Millions Worldwide NewsBlaze, CA - Tobacco smoking affects not only the smoker, but also those in the vicinity of the smoker. Exposure to secondhand smoke, either at the home or in the ... TV ad campaign features Smoke-Free Indiana Tech Indianapolis Star, United States - Aug 1, 2008 Smoke-free workplace policies have been proven to reduce the toll of tobacco by eliminating secondhand smoke exposure and reducing tobacco use among ... AFP Gallagher stalls on smoking in cars ban The Canberra Times, Australia - Jul 30, 2008 ''The evidence [is] that children are extremely vulnerable to exposure to second-hand smoke, particularly in an enclosed space like a car,'' Ms Jones said. ... New tobacco bans welcomed The Australian all 215 news articles » Smoking ban gets first OK Louisville Courier-Journal, KY - Harris said research has shown there is "no risk-free" level of exposure to secondhand smoke, which he said is linked to a range of health problems. ... Taking a bite out of tobacco use Baltimore Sun, United States - Aug 2, 2008 ... into effect evidence-based anti-smoking strategies involving increased tobacco taxes, changes in state policies to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke ... Montgomery College Snuffs Out Smoking Washington Post, United States - Jul 31, 2008 But he said the idea of cigarette smoke outside affecting others' health borders on craziness. "Whatever exposure to 'poisons and particulates' might occur ... Navy captain draws link between tobacco use, PTSD risk Stars and Stripes, DC - Aug 3, 2008 Considering that many troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan smoke and dip, their exposure to trauma could greatly increase their likelihood of coming down ... Risks of smoking, secondhand smoke AAP endorses guideline on ... AAP News (subscription) - Aug 1, 2008 The Academy?s CEASE project (Clinical Effort Against Secondhand Smoke Exposure), led by Richmond Center Tobacco Consortium Chair Jonathan P. Winickoff, MD, ...

The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

6 Major Conclusions of the Surgeon General Report

Smoking is the single greatest avoidable cause of disease and death. In this report, The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General, the Surgeon General has concluded that:

1. Many millions of Americans, both children and adults, are still exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes and workplaces despite substantial progress in tobacco control.

Supporting Evidence

• Levels of a chemical called cotinine, a biomarker of secondhand smoke exposure, fell by 70 percent from 1988-91 to 2001-02. In national surveys, however, 43 percent of U.S. nonsmokers still have detectable levels of cotinine.
• Almost 60 percent of U.S. children aged 3-11 years—or almost 22 million children—are exposed to secondhand smoke.
• Approximately 30 percent of indoor workers in the United States are not covered by smoke-free workplace policies.

1. Secondhand smoke exposure causes disease and premature death in children and adults who do not smoke.

Supporting Evidence

• Secondhand smoke contains hundreds of chemicals known to be toxic or carcinogenic (cancer-causing), including formaldehyde, benzene, vinyl chloride, arsenic, ammonia, and hydrogen cyanide.

• Safety and Health has concluded that secondhand smoke is an occupational carcinogen.

1. Children exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory infections, ear problems, and more severe asthma. Smoking by parents causes respiratory symptoms and slows lung growth in their children.

Supporting Evidence

• Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke are inhaling many of the same cancer-causing substances and poisons as smokers. Because their bodies are developing, infants and young children are especially vulnerable to the poisons in secondhand smoke.
• Both babies whose mothers smoke while pregnant and babies who are exposed to secondhand smoke after birth are more likely to die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) than babies who are not exposed to cigarette smoke.
• Babies whose mothers smoke while pregnant or who are exposed to secondhand smoke after birth have weaker lungs than unexposed babies, which increases the risk for many health problems.
• Among infants and children, secondhand smoke cause bronchitis and pneumonia, and increases the risk of ear infections.
• Secondhand smoke exposure can cause children who already have asthma to experience more frequent and severe attacks.

1. Exposure of adults to secondhand smoke has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and causes coronary heart disease and lung cancer.

Supporting Evidence

• Concentrations of many cancer-causing and toxic chemicals are higher in secondhand smoke than in the smoke inhaled by smokers.
• Breathing secondhand smoke for even a short time can have immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and interferes with the normal functioning of the heart, blood, and vascular systems in ways that increase the risk of a heart attack.
• Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or at work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25 - 30 percent.
• Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or at work increase their risk of developing lung cancer by 20 - 30 percent.

1. The scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

Supporting Evidence

• Short exposures to secondhand smoke can cause blood platelets to become stickier, damage the lining of blood vessels, decrease coronary flow velocity reserves, and reduce heart rate variability, potentially increasing the risk of a heart attack.
• Secondhand smoke contains many chemicals that can quickly irritate and damage the lining of the airways. Even brief exposure can result in upper airway changes in healthy persons and can lead to more frequent and more asthma attacks in children who already have asthma.

1. Eliminating smoking in indoor spaces fully protects nonsmokers from exposure to secondhand smoke. Separating smokers from nonsmokers, cleaning the air, and ventilating buildings cannot eliminate exposures of nonsmokers to secondhand smoke.

Supporting Evidence

• Conventional air cleaning systems can remove large particles, but not the smaller particles or the gases found in secondhand smoke.
• Routine operation of a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system can distribute secondhand smoke throughout a building.
• The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the preeminent U.S. body on ventilation issues, has concluded that ventilation technology cannot be relied on to control health risks from secondhand smoke exposure.

The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General was prepared by the Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Report was written by 22 national experts who were selected as primary authors. The Report chapters were reviewed by 40 peer reviewers, and the entire Report was reviewed by 30 independent scientists and by lead scientists within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services. Throughout the review process, the Report was revised to address reviewers’ comments.

Citation
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006.