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----- Original Message ----- From: "Thomas Swift" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > This is an assinine tact. > > It's a matter of perspective, which is sorely lacking > here. Too much nitrogen, which we need is poisionous, > so is too much carbon dioxide without which every > plant on the planet would die. Before we trot out the caustic, shopworn, industry-sponsored, partisan argument-that-fits-all, let's just take a moment to re-acquaint ourselves with fact. Nitrogen (which is 80% of our tmosphere) and carbon dioxide are not poisionous. They are only harmful insofar as they supplant oxygen. It's the lack of oxygen that is toxic to humans. The chemical components of cigarette smoke are, however, harmful in themselves as the tobacco industry itself has finally been forced to admit. > There is no, zero, none, study that links "second hand > smoke" with any debilitating health risk is there > Driscoll? How long are we going to have to put up with partisan repetition of this industry-sponsored lie before the same apologists turn around and tell us that, when we do sicken and die of cancer and heart disease, it's our own fault for believing their lies. . . again? Second-hand smoke contains over 4,000 chemical compounds, 50 of which are associated with, or known to cause cancer. [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking: Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease. A report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, Maryland: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Office on Smoking and Health, 1984.] ____________________________________________ >From the USEPA http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/etsbro.html Secondhand Smoke Can Cause Lung Cancer in Nonsmokers Secondhand smoke has been classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a known cause of lung cancer in humans (Group A carcinogen). Passive smoking is estimated by EPA to cause approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths in nonsmokers each year. Secondhand Smoke is a Serious Health Risk to Children The developing lungs of young children are also affected by exposure to secondhand smoke. Infants and young children whose parents smoke are among the most seriously affected by exposure to secondhand smoke, being at increased risk of lower respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis. EPA estimates that passive smoking is responsible for between 150,000 and 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections in infants and children under 18 months of age annually, resulting in between 7,500 and 15,000 hospitalizations each year. Children exposed to secondhand smoke are also more likely to have reduced lung function and symptoms of respiratory irritation like cough, excess phlegm, and wheeze. Passive smoking can lead to buildup of fluid in the middle ear, the most common cause of hospitalization of children for an operation. Asthmatic children are especially at risk. EPA estimates that exposure to secondhand smoke increases the number of episodes and severity of symptoms in hundreds of thousands of asthmatic children. EPA estimates that between 200,000 and 1,000,000 asthmatic children have their condition made worse by exposure to secondhand smoke. Passive smoking may also cause thousands of non-asthmatic children to develop the condition each year. ______________________________________________________ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2053840.stm http://www.smoke-free.ca/Second-Hand-Smoke/health_kids.htm More than three times as many infants die from second-hand smoke-related Sudden Infant Death Syndrome as from child abuse or homicide. [DiFranza, J.R. and R.A. Lew. Effect of Maternal Cigarette Smoking on Pregnancy Complications and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Journal of Family Practice, Vol. 40, 1995, pp. 385-394.] _____________________________________________________ Studies on passive smoking linked to heart disease http://www.accessexcellence.org/WN/SUA01/passive_smoking.html __________________________ Heart Disease Weekly June 15, 2003 Recent evidence has added to this scientific consensus. Just last month, researchers in Helena, Montana, showed that the incidence of heart attacks dropped by 60% following the city's adoption of a smoke-free policy in local restaurants and bars. __________________________________________________ Guy Western the West Side _____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
