Secondhand Smoke

Research

Caregivers often expose asthmatic kids to smoke
Researchers have found that secondhand smoke from caregivers is a significant trigger for asthma attacks in children between ages 3 and 12. To determine the extent of secondhand smoke exposure, urine samples from children in the study were tested for metabolites of nicotine. Children exposed to secondhand smoke from both their daycare provider and their primary caregiver had the highest amounts of nicotine metabolites. Kids exposed to smoke from just one caregiver, either at home or at daycare, had significantly higher levels of nicotine metabolites than kids with no reported smoke exposure. For more information, click here. Click here to access the abstract of the research, which was published in the journal Chest.

Smoking bans reduce heart attack admissions
Researchers recently published an update to a 2007 meta-analysis of eight studies from around the world that evaluated the effects of local smoke-free laws on a community’s cardiac health. The update adds to the meta-analysis several new studies that were published after the original article was in print. The updated findings show that immediately after the implementation of smoke-free laws, hospital admissions for heart attacks drop by 19%. Click here to read the manuscript of the study, which is to be published in Preventive Medicine, currently in press.

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Reports

Fewer nonsmokers breathe cigarette fumes, CDC says
American adults’ secondhand smoke exposure has decreased significantly since the 1990s, based on data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between 1988 and 2004. However, half of adult nonsmokers are still exposed to secondhand smoke. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, 84% of adults surveyed by the CDC had detectable levels of cotinine, a byproduct of nicotine, in their blood. Between 1999 and 2004, only 46% of nonsmokers tested positive. Researchers found disparate rates of secondhand smoke exposure based on race; Blacks were considerably more likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke than Whites or Mexican Americans. Also, little progress has been made in reducing children’s secondhand smoke exposure. Click here for a summary of the research. Click here to read the full report in the CDC publication, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Smoke-free policies effective, says International Agency for Research on Cancer
According to a report from the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, smokefree policies accomplish their goals of protecting health, and do not cause negative economic effects for businesses. Smokefree workplaces reduce smoking among adults, decrease secondhand smoke exposure, and alleviate respiratory symptoms in workers. There was also evidence to suggest that smokefree home policies decrease adult smoking and lower children’s secondhand smoke exposure. Based on these findings, the report recommends that governments work to achieve the guidelines in the World Health Organization Framework Convention for Tobacco Control. Click here to read more. Click here to access the IARC report and summary in The Lancet Oncology.

Navajo tribe bans tobacco use in public spaces
The Navajo Nation Council has voted to ban smoking and chewing tobacco in public places on the vast reservation, including such outdoor venues as rodeos and fairs. The council approved the ban on a vote of 42-27 at the end of its weeklong summer session in the Navajo capital of Window Rock, Ariz. Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. has 10 days to decide whether to sign or veto the law once it reaches his desk. The measure prohibits smoking and chewing tobacco in public buildings and shared public air space, but does not affect tobacco used in ceremonies for traditional or religious purposes on the reservation, an area about the size of West Virginia that encompasses parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Click here to read on.

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