According to a new report from the U.S. Surgeon General, secondhand smoke is unsafe. We knew that already, right?
But the gist of the report is a little harsher. NO amount of secondhand smoke is safe. The only way to protect nonsmokers is by providing smoke free environments. According to the report, nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or at work are up to 30 percent more likely to develop heart disease and lung cancer than people who are not exposed to secondhand smoke.
The U.S. Surgeon General said today that “there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.” Or, to put it another way, “there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.” Any smoke is bad smoke. Separating restaurants, for example, into smoking and non smoking sections doesn’t work. Relying on sophisticated ventilation equipment doesn’t work.
The American Lung Association sees this move from the U.S. Surgeon General as a definitive ruling on the subject of secondhand smoke. “Essentially, the Surgeon General slammed the book on any scientific debate on secondhand smoke,” said a spokesman for the American Lung Association.
The last review of smoking and secondhand smoke came out twenty years ago. Even in 1986, it was pretty clear that secondhand smoke caused lung cancer in nonsmokers.
In the report, the U.S. Surgeon General said that breathing secondhand smoke for even a short time can damage cells and set the cancer process in motion. Approximately one hundred twenty-six million Americans are exposed to secondhand smoke, putting them at increased risk for heart disease, lung cancer, respiratory problems, and ear infections. The risks for children are even worse, including the respiratory problems and ear infections along with asthma and sudden infant death syndrome. According to the report, just over twenty percent of American children are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or in the car with smoking parents.
Secondhand smoke contains more than fifty different carcinogens… is that something you really want your friends and family to breathe?