Arsenic. Benzene. Formaldehyde. Hydrogen Cyanide. Toluene. One ingredient is found in gasoline. Another is found in paint thinner. A third is used in embalming fluid. And all, along with at least 4,000 other chemicals, are found in tobacco smoke. Needless to say, the health effects of inhaling such toxins are many.
Most Americans also are well aware of the health risks to smokers. What is perhaps less well known are the many risks of secondhand smoke, or “passive smoking.” Exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and lung cancer by 25 to 30 percent compared to those not exposed. An estimated 3,000 lung cancer deaths and as many as 45,000 heart attack deaths per year, are attributed to secondhand smoke exposure.
Efforts have long been in place to curb passive smoking exposure. The 1994 Pro-Children Act prohibits smoking in federally-funded facilities providing services to children. And Healthy People 2020, a comprehensive nationwide health promotion program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, includes a goal of reducing tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure.
Nationally, many bans on smoking in all indoor public places exist. In Lubbock, an effort is afoot to eliminate the exceptions that exist to a public indoor smoking ban. Establishments like bingo parlors and sports bars are currently exempted from the ban. While opinions vary on the proposed comprehensive ban, here are a few more facts to consider from a medical point of view:
Research confirms only truly comprehensive smoking bans (with no exemptions) are effective. In a broad sampling of communities where such bans went into effect, hospitalizations for heart attack and stroke dropped by 15 percent, while admissions for acute respiratory illnesses like bronchitis and asthma were reduced by 25 percent within one year of the legislation taking effect. In communities in which bans with exemptions were enacted, no significant drop in hospitalizations was seen.
Worries about adverse economic impact on businesses affected by such bans may be unfounded. Studies of the Texas communities of El Paso and Arlington showed no slowing of bar or restaurant business once comprehensive legislation was passed.
Smokers in Texas are against smoking ban because they say it breaks their rights and freedoms. Most popular brand of cigarettes in Texas is L&M.
Most Americans also are well aware of the health risks to smokers. What is perhaps less well known are the many risks of secondhand smoke, or “passive smoking.” Exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and lung cancer by 25 to 30 percent compared to those not exposed. An estimated 3,000 lung cancer deaths and as many as 45,000 heart attack deaths per year, are attributed to secondhand smoke exposure.
Efforts have long been in place to curb passive smoking exposure. The 1994 Pro-Children Act prohibits smoking in federally-funded facilities providing services to children. And Healthy People 2020, a comprehensive nationwide health promotion program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, includes a goal of reducing tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure.
Nationally, many bans on smoking in all indoor public places exist. In Lubbock, an effort is afoot to eliminate the exceptions that exist to a public indoor smoking ban. Establishments like bingo parlors and sports bars are currently exempted from the ban. While opinions vary on the proposed comprehensive ban, here are a few more facts to consider from a medical point of view:
Research confirms only truly comprehensive smoking bans (with no exemptions) are effective. In a broad sampling of communities where such bans went into effect, hospitalizations for heart attack and stroke dropped by 15 percent, while admissions for acute respiratory illnesses like bronchitis and asthma were reduced by 25 percent within one year of the legislation taking effect. In communities in which bans with exemptions were enacted, no significant drop in hospitalizations was seen.
Worries about adverse economic impact on businesses affected by such bans may be unfounded. Studies of the Texas communities of El Paso and Arlington showed no slowing of bar or restaurant business once comprehensive legislation was passed.
Smokers in Texas are against smoking ban because they say it breaks their rights and freedoms. Most popular brand of cigarettes in Texas is L&M.
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