06-28-2006, 10:24 AM
Surgeon General's report slams second-hand smoke
Updated Tue. Jun. 27 2006 2:58 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
There is no risk-free level of exposure to second-hand smoke -- and the only way to protect nonsmokers is to ban smoking completely in office buildings and public places, concludes a report by the U.S. Surgeon-General released Tuesday.
"The scientific evidence is now indisputable: second-hand smoke is not a mere annoyance," Surgeon-General Richard Carmona told a news conference in Washington.
"It is a serious health hazard that can lead to disease and premature death in children and nonsmoking adults."
Carmona's long-awaited report estimates that 126 million non-smoking Americans are at an increased risk of death from lung cancer, heart disease and other illnesses due to their exposure to second-hand smoke.
The report said designated smoking areas don't work -- and that a workplace ban is necessary.
Carmona has been a longtime opponent of smoking who endorsed banning tobacco products during congressional testimony in 2003.
Children
But Carmona is especially concerned about young children who can't escape the drifting smoke from their parents' habits.
Just over one in five children is exposed to second-hand smoke at home. The report finds those children are at increased risk of:
SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome;
lung infections such as pneumonia;
ear infections; and
more severe asthma.
In a preface to the report, Carmona wrote that at least 60 percent of U.S. nonsmokers show signs of exposure to second-hand smoke.
"Nonsmokers need protection through the restriction of smoking in public places and workplaces and by a voluntary adherence to policies at home, particularly to eliminate exposures of children," he wrote.
The report reinforces the 1964 Surgeon General's report that resulted in mandatory cigarette warnings and restrictions on advertising, forcing tobacco companies to detail the health effects of second-hand smoke on labels.
The report isn't a new study -- rather a compilation of what's considered the best research on secondhand smoke.
Doctors call for smoke-free Canada
On the heels of the report's release, Canadian health and labour organizations called on the federal minister of labour to ban smoking in all public workplaces.
Several Canadian provinces have passed such laws, but Canadians who work for the federal government, for banks, telecommunications or other federally-regulated sectors are not covered by these laws.
"The only federal law governing smoking in the workplace, the 1989 Non-Smokers' Health Act, is now badly out of date and needs to be replaced with a complete ban on smoking in all workplaces under federal jurisdiction -- with no ifs, ands or butts," said Neil Collishaw, research director at Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada.
"As a result, many federally regulated workers continue to be exposed to second hand smoke on a regular basis."
Ontario was the latest province to ban smoking in public spaces.
Dubbed the "Smoke-Free Ontario Act," legislation that went into effect in May bans smoking in public places -- including offices, restaurants, bars and covered patios -- and supersedes a patchwork of local by-laws in cities such as Toronto and Ottawa.
In the U.S., 14 states have passed what are considered comprehensive smoke-free workplace laws, those that include restaurants and bars.
Hospitality industry
Many bar and restaurant owners cried foul when the Ontario law came into effect, calling the restrictions extreme and saying they will cost businesses millions of dollars and infringe on the rights of smokers.
But Tuesday's report also says there's good evidence that comprehensive smoking bans don't economically hurt the hospitality industry.
In fact, they study cites an in-depth analysis of California tax revenue data from 1990 to 2002, which found that the 1995 state¬wide smoke-free restaurant law was associated with an increase in restaurant revenues.
The study also found that the 1998 statewide smoke-free bar law was associated with an increase in bar revenues.
Among other findings:
Second-hand smoke can act so quickly on the arteries that even brief exposure can endanger people at high risk of heart disease. Carmona advises to never smoke around a sick relative.
Living with a smoker increases a nonsmoker's risk of lung cancer and heart disease by up to 30 percent.
Homes and workplaces are the predominant locations for exposure to second-hand smoke.
Workplace smoking restrictions are effective in reducing secondhand smoke exposure.
With files from The Associated Press
Updated Tue. Jun. 27 2006 2:58 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
There is no risk-free level of exposure to second-hand smoke -- and the only way to protect nonsmokers is to ban smoking completely in office buildings and public places, concludes a report by the U.S. Surgeon-General released Tuesday.
"The scientific evidence is now indisputable: second-hand smoke is not a mere annoyance," Surgeon-General Richard Carmona told a news conference in Washington.
"It is a serious health hazard that can lead to disease and premature death in children and nonsmoking adults."
Carmona's long-awaited report estimates that 126 million non-smoking Americans are at an increased risk of death from lung cancer, heart disease and other illnesses due to their exposure to second-hand smoke.
The report said designated smoking areas don't work -- and that a workplace ban is necessary.
Carmona has been a longtime opponent of smoking who endorsed banning tobacco products during congressional testimony in 2003.
Children
But Carmona is especially concerned about young children who can't escape the drifting smoke from their parents' habits.
Just over one in five children is exposed to second-hand smoke at home. The report finds those children are at increased risk of:
SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome;
lung infections such as pneumonia;
ear infections; and
more severe asthma.
In a preface to the report, Carmona wrote that at least 60 percent of U.S. nonsmokers show signs of exposure to second-hand smoke.
"Nonsmokers need protection through the restriction of smoking in public places and workplaces and by a voluntary adherence to policies at home, particularly to eliminate exposures of children," he wrote.
The report reinforces the 1964 Surgeon General's report that resulted in mandatory cigarette warnings and restrictions on advertising, forcing tobacco companies to detail the health effects of second-hand smoke on labels.
The report isn't a new study -- rather a compilation of what's considered the best research on secondhand smoke.
Doctors call for smoke-free Canada
On the heels of the report's release, Canadian health and labour organizations called on the federal minister of labour to ban smoking in all public workplaces.
Several Canadian provinces have passed such laws, but Canadians who work for the federal government, for banks, telecommunications or other federally-regulated sectors are not covered by these laws.
"The only federal law governing smoking in the workplace, the 1989 Non-Smokers' Health Act, is now badly out of date and needs to be replaced with a complete ban on smoking in all workplaces under federal jurisdiction -- with no ifs, ands or butts," said Neil Collishaw, research director at Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada.
"As a result, many federally regulated workers continue to be exposed to second hand smoke on a regular basis."
Ontario was the latest province to ban smoking in public spaces.
Dubbed the "Smoke-Free Ontario Act," legislation that went into effect in May bans smoking in public places -- including offices, restaurants, bars and covered patios -- and supersedes a patchwork of local by-laws in cities such as Toronto and Ottawa.
In the U.S., 14 states have passed what are considered comprehensive smoke-free workplace laws, those that include restaurants and bars.
Hospitality industry
Many bar and restaurant owners cried foul when the Ontario law came into effect, calling the restrictions extreme and saying they will cost businesses millions of dollars and infringe on the rights of smokers.
But Tuesday's report also says there's good evidence that comprehensive smoking bans don't economically hurt the hospitality industry.
In fact, they study cites an in-depth analysis of California tax revenue data from 1990 to 2002, which found that the 1995 state¬wide smoke-free restaurant law was associated with an increase in restaurant revenues.
The study also found that the 1998 statewide smoke-free bar law was associated with an increase in bar revenues.
Among other findings:
Second-hand smoke can act so quickly on the arteries that even brief exposure can endanger people at high risk of heart disease. Carmona advises to never smoke around a sick relative.
Living with a smoker increases a nonsmoker's risk of lung cancer and heart disease by up to 30 percent.
Homes and workplaces are the predominant locations for exposure to second-hand smoke.
Workplace smoking restrictions are effective in reducing secondhand smoke exposure.
With files from The Associated Press