EFFECTS OF SECONDHAND SMOKE Pat McKone, Director American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest
Jan 15, 2016
EFFECTS OF SECONDHAND SMOKEPat McKone, Director
American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest
WE’VE COME A LONG WAY SINCE,…
WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL TOBACCO SMOKE (ETS) ..SECONDHAND SMOKE?
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION90% OF TIME SPENT INDOORS
SURGEON GENERAL REPORT
WHAT’S IN TOBACCO SMOKE?
• Particulates• carbon monoxide• nicotine• benzene• nitrosamines• polycyclic hydrocarbons• 3,000 - 4,000 others
IT’S A SERIOUS DANGER TO HEALTH
Secondhand smoke is a leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.
Mokdad, AH et al. “Actual Causes of Death in the United States, 2000.” JAMA. 2004; 291: 1238-1245.
Secondhand smoke causes at least 38,000 deaths annually in U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Annual smoking-attributable mortality, years of potential life lost, and productivity losses.” MMWR. 2005; 54: 625-628
Hundreds of studies have documented secondhand smoke as a cause of serious health problems.
U.S. SURGEON GENERAL’S 2006 REPORT CONCLUSIONS
No Risk Free Level of Exposure
TOBACCO SMOKE
The concentration of some chemicals in side-stream smoke is 10 x greater than in main-stream smoke
.
HEALTH EFFECTS ON CHILDREN Fetal growth retardation SIDS Respiratory problems in children Asthma in children Eye and nasal irritation Middle ear infections in children Lung cancer Nasal sinus cancer Heart disease Mortality due to heart disease
(1997 Comprehensive Study by Cal EPA)
OTHER HEALTH EFFECTS Pre-term delivery
Asthma induction in adults
Breast cancer in younger (primarily pre-menopausal) women
Acute and chronic heart disease
Altered vascular properties
About 49,000 deaths (not including breast cancer)
(2005 Report Expanded Impacts)
EFFECTS ON THE HEART
Interferes with normal functioning of the heart, blood and vascular systems
Increases “stickiness” of platelets even with brief exposures
Damages the lining of blood vessels
LUNG CANCER All major health authorities agree that
secondhand smoke causes cancer:
U.S. Surgeon General linked SHS to lung cancer.
U.S. Dept of Health & Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General. 1986; p. 7
Classified as a Group A carcinogen by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, meaning it is known to cause cancer in humans.
U.S. EPA, Respiratory Health Effects of Passive Smoking: Lung Cancer and Other Disorders. 1992; p. 5-68
LUNG CANCER
VENTILATION
According to ASHRAE, the organization that establishes industry standards for ventilation:The only means of effectively eliminating
health risks associated with indoor exposure to SHS is to ban smoking activity.
Engineering approaches, such as ventilation and air cleaning, cannot be relied on to control the health risks associated with SHS exposure.
Samet, J et al. “ASHRAE position document on environmental tobacco smoke.” 2005.
THIRDHAND SMOKE
Residual chemicals left on a variety of indoor surfaces
The science is still emerging
WHAT CAN WE DO?
Only Smoke-free policies fully protect
NO SMOKING sections do not protect
Cleaning the air or ventilating buildings does not fully protect non-smokers