Secondhand Smoke

Research

Women's peripheral artery disease tied to secondhand smoke
Women exposed to secondhand smoke at home or in the workplace had a 67 percent increased risk of peripheral artery disease (PAD) compared to women who weren't exposed, a new study says. The researchers, who examined 1,209 Chinese women 60 years and older who'd never smoked, also found that exposure to secondhand smoke increased the risk of coronary heart disease by 69 percent and the risk of ischemic stroke by 56 percent. To read more about the researchers’ results, click here.

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Reports

Check the Web if you want no smoke (VA)
Although legislative efforts to ban smoking in Virginia restaurants have not yet been successful, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) has added a listing of smoke-free restaurants to its website to cater to health-conscious diners. Under the Restaurant Inspections section, the VDH website notes whether establishments permit smoking, whether there are designated smoking areas, and whether smoking is banned on the premises. The website also offers percentages of fast-food and dining establishments that are smokefree in each county. Click here for more information.

Smoke ban in your home? Lake talks setting rule for public housing (IL)
The Lake County Public Housing Authority in Illinois is considering banning smoking in public housing units. While this would be the first county with smoke-free public housing in Illinois, approximately 80 counties in 15 states have already adopted smokefree public housing policies. According to the director of the Lake County Housing Authority, the goal of the new policy would be to protect the high population of elderly, low-income, and disabled public housing residents from secondhand smoke in their homes.  Click here to read more.

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International

Smoky air in Israeli pubs, cafés worse than in countries with bans (Israel)
Researchers measuring air quality in Israeli bars, cafés, and pubs found that the particulate matter in the air at these venues is 20 times higher than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recommended levels. Air quality was 10 times worse than levels measured in countries that enforce indoor smoking bans. The air quality measurements were taken by researchers as baseline measurements in a joint project of the Tel Aviv University School of Public Health and the Harvard School of Public Health that will compare air quality before and after a November 2007 law that requires business owners to enforce smoking bans on their property.  Click here to read more.

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