Secondhand Smoke

Research

Secondhand smoke hurts kids' grades
A recent study shows that not only is secondhand smoke hazardous to teens’ health, but it also has deleterious effects on their standardized test scores. This study by Temple University demonstrated that high school students from households with secondhand smoke are 30% less likely to pass standardized tests. Click here for more information. Read the full article in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Do broad smoking bans cloud belief of risk?
Research has not definitively shown that brief exposure to secondhand smoke causes heart disease, yet this statement has been communicated by the tobacco control community to the public as fact. This study does not negate the dangers of secondhand smoke; rather, inaccuracies in public health statements were identified and analyzed. Because concerns about secondhand smoke have fueled public smoking bans, tobacco control organizations should strive to include facts consistent with current research in their materials in order not to mislead or galvanize the public against their messages. Read the journal article here.

USA: Study finds that heart attacks in non-smokers decreased with smoking ban
The results are in from the first study to examine the effects of a smoking ban on heart attacks in nonsmokers. The study compared two counties in Indiana, one that had implemented a smoking ban in restaurants, bars, retail spaces and workplaces, and one that had no smoking bans. Hospital admissions for heart attacks in nonsmokers were reduced by 70% in the county with the public smoking bans, compared to an 11% drop in the county where public smoking was unregulated, a 59% net decrease in heart attacks for the county with smoking bans. There was no effect on heart attack rates in smokers. Click here for a summary of the research. Read the article’s abstract here.

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Reports

Best cities for smokers
The prevalence of smoking is in decline, but certain cities remain strongholds for smokers. Although the trend of anti-tobacco legislation has spread from the U.S. to become an international effort, cities including St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Des Moines and Myrtle Beach, S.C. have high smoking rates, low excise taxes, and smoker-friendly laws. Not surprisingly, given that it is home to several tobacco manufacturers, several cities in North Carolina made the Forbes list. See the full list of Best Cities for Smokers here.

A new arena in the fight over smoking: The home
As smoke drifts in from other apartments, tenants in apartment buildings are fighting to have the right to have smoke free homes, while smokers counter the argument with the right to smoke in their own homes. As of yet, only two cities in California have passed anti-smoking ordinances for residential buildings with multiple units, but building owners and legislators are beginning to realize the importance of regulating smoking within apartment complexes. According to researchers, between 10 and 50 percent of air in apartment buildings is shared. Get the full story here.

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