Smoking Dangers
The Risks of Involuntary smoking.
What should you know?
Have you ever breathed the smoke that curls up
from the tip of someone's cigarette? Have you ever breathed the smoke
exhaled by a smoker?
If so,, then you have breathed the same
harmful, cancer-causing parts of smoke inhaled by smokers. As an
involuntary smoker --a nonsmoker breathing the same smoke from others--
you are at an increased risk.
Former US Surgeon General C. Everett Koop
said: "It is now clear that disease
risk due to inhalation of tobacco smoke is not limited to the individual
who is smoking."
The risk of developing disease depends on the
amount of tobacco exposure. As an involuntary smoker, you breath less
tobacco smoke than an active smoker because the smoke mixes with the air
around you. But the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 3,000
nonsmokers die of lung cancer annually --as
a result of breathing someone else's cigarette smoke.
Involuntary smoking also causes heart disease,
aggravates asthmatic conditions, and impairs blood circulation.
Though legislation has been passed in the
workplace, there's still cause for concern. Tobacco smoke spreads
quickly and a workday is more than enough time to expose most people
within many working environments. Even if you don't sit next to smokers,
the smoky air within a building may be harmful.
Why should you know?
The Surgeon General and the National Academy of
Sciences have examined the evidence surrounding involuntary smoking.
Both studies agreed: "Exposure to
other peoples smoke increases the risk of developing lung cancer."
Other studies have also shown dangers for
nonsmokers who breathe the smoke from cigarettes. The studies found
that:
- Overall, nonsmoking wives of husbands who
smoke have a 20% increased risk of lung cancer compared with women
whose husbands don't smoke.
DHHS, 1993; NIH Pub. No. 93-360, Smoking and
Tobacco Control, Monograph 4. pp. v. and vii.
- Nonsmokers married to heavy smokers (40+
cigarettes a day) were found to have 2 times the risk of lung cancer
compared with those married to nonsmokers.
ACS, Cancer, Causes & Control. 1997;8
p. 62.
- Nonsmokers married to smokers had about 20%
higher coronary heart disease mortality compared to nonsmoking
couples.
Circulation. 1996;94: p. 622-628.
These studies have focused on people who live
with smokers; if you live with just one smoker, you are at risk for lung
cancer.
What about kids?
Lung cancer is not the only hazard that faces
involuntary smokers. For instance, the children of smokers have a
greater chance of developing certain illnesses such as:
- colds
- bronchitis and pneumonia, especially during
the first two years of life
- chronic coughs, especially as children get
older
- ear infections
- reduced lung function
- increasing severity of symptoms and episodes
among children with asthma
As with adults, the more smoke a child is
exposed to, the more that child's risk is increased. Therefore, if it is
the smoking parent who handles most of the child care, the child's
chances of developing the ailments listed above are greater. And of
course, the risk is highest if both parents smoke.
Who's taking action?
As of January 1, 1997, 48 states and the
District of Columbia have some restriction on smoking in public places.
Forty-two states and the District of Columbia
have enacted laws that address smoking in government buildings.
Twenty-three have enacted laws that address it in private workplaces.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia
prohibit the sale of tobacco products to minors.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia
impose an excise tax on cigarettes, including eight states now charging
at least 70cents per pack: Michigan, Massachusetts, Alaska, Washington,
Hawaii, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Maine.
Forty states plus the District of Columbia have
restrictions on the placement of vending machines containing tobacco
products.
Smoking has been banned on all US flights of
six hours or less. Some US carriers offer smokefree international
flights on their own. In addition, an agreement between the US, Canada,
and Australia was signed on November 1, 1994 banning smoking on flights
between these countries. The agreement applies to nonstop flights and
went into effect 120 days after the signing.
What can you do?
Now that you know that all smoke is harmful,
what can you do to help fight the problem?
- If you smoke, stop.
- If others in your household smoke, help them
to stop.
- Ask to be seated in the nonsmoking sections
of restaurants and public transportation.
- Make certain that your children's schools
and their child-care situations are smoke-free.
- Help negotiate for a smoke-free environment.
- Ask visitors not to smoke in your home.
- Let your legislators know where you stand on
nonsmoker's rights issues, and that you will support their efforts
to pass laws designed to protect the nonsmoker.
- Call your local American Cancer Society and
ask how you can become active in the effort to reduce smoking in
your community.
