Report boosts bans on smoking Updated 6/27/2006 6:59 PM ET By Liz Szabo, USA TODAY
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-06-27-involuntary-smoking_x.htm?csp=34 WASHINGTON — Non-smoking sections and ventilation in bars, restaurants and offices do not protect people from secondhand smoke, which poses a health hazard at any level, a report from the U.S. surgeon general said Tuesday. The 700-page report cites "massive and conclusive scientific evidence" of the "alarming" health threat posed by secondhand smoke and finds smoking bans are the only way to protect non-smokers. Q&A:What the study means Although many states and hundreds of cities have passed smoke-free laws, more than 126 million Americans ages 3 and older continue to be exposed to secondhand smoke, according to the report. Surgeon General Richard Carmona said non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their risk of heart disease and cancer by up to 30%. Even brief exposure to smoke damages cells, beginning a process that can lead to cancer, and increases the risk of blood clots, which can cause heart attacks and strokes. "The debate is over," Carmona said. "The science is clear. Secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance but a serious health hazard." Carmona also urged parents not to smoke around children, noting that many children are exposed in the home. He stopped short of calling for specific legislation or other government regulation to restrict indoor smoking. "The strength of this movement is in the communities," Carmona said. Anti-tobacco activists say the report is a blueprint for future action. Matthew Myers of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids says all states and communities should immediately ban smoking in all workplaces: "Anything else leaves Americans' health at risk." The report does provide strong support for smoke-free laws. Contrary to tobacco industry-financed studies, smoke-free policies do not hurt business for bars, restaurants and other venues, the report concludes. The report strongly criticizes the industry for financing biased studies to undermine carefully conducted, peer-reviewed research on the economic effects of smoking bans in an effort to "sustain controversy even as the scientific community reached consensus." R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. does not dispute the science in the report, a spokesman said. But owners of bars and restaurants should be allowed to decide on the policies that best suit their clients, David Howard said. "Adults should be able to patronize establishments that permit smoking if they choose to do so." Thanks to smoke-free air laws, fewer Americans today are exposed to secondhand smoke, the report finds. Yet more than 40% of non-smoking adults and nearly 60% of children ages 3 to 11 are exposed to secondhand smoke. Because children's lung are still developing, children exposed to smoke have twice the level of a nicotine byproduct in their blood as adult non-smokers. Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
