Secondhand Smoke
Research
Report: City taverns' air much cleaner (WI)
The city of Eau Claire, Wisconsin conducted a study to test the air quality in local bars and compare the levels to the air quality in the bars prior to the enactment of the citywide smoking ban. The city tested four taverns inside the city limits and two taverns outside the city. The study found that the amount of fine particle air pollution in the taverns went down by 95% when compared to the amounts measured before the smoking ban’s implementation. All of the bars tested before the smoking ban had air quality levels that were considered hazardous to health, but the new tests revealed that the current air quality ranked ‘good’ according to EPA standards. Click here to read more.
Maternal smoking during pregnancy and neonatal behavior: A large-scale community study
Research published in the May 2009 issue of Pediatrics found that neonatal exposure to maternal smoking was associated with increased irritability and hypertonicity (excessive muscle tension and spasticity) in the infants. The results were significant after controlling for maternal socioeconomic status, age, race, and infant birth weight. The study looked at a large community sample of mothers and infants from Providence, Rhode Island who participated in the National Collaborative Perinatal Project between 1960 and 1966. The participants included 962 mother-infant pairs with 62% of the sample reporting smoking during pregnancy. Click here to read an abstract of the study.
top
Reports
Developing Smokefree Implementation Regulations (DSIR) companion guide
The Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium (TTAC) is pleased to announce the release of the Developing Smokefree Implementation Regulations (DSIR) companion guide. This companion guide to the DSIR website includes information and resources to help health departments, advocacy organizations, and others in the public health community draft and adopt effective smokefree implementation regulations. It also supplements the Smokefree Implementation Toolkit, a comprehensive, web-based resource for the public health community. Click here to read the companion guide. Click here to access the DSIR website, which offers additional resources, including models and examples of effective implementation language for smokefree legislation.
State of the Air Report, 2009
The American Lung Association (ALA) recently announced its tenth annual report on air quality. The report grades 1,000 counties in the U.S. based on the levels of air pollutants—ozone and particle pollution—measured by state air quality monitors. The report lists the top 25 most polluted cities and cleanest cities. The report is also a source of information on the health effects of air pollution. Click here to access the report on the ALA website and find out the air quality grade for your area.
Environmental and biological assessment of environmental tobacco smoke exposure among casino dealers
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) released a report on the effects of secondhand smoke on casino workers in Las Vegas, Nevada. NIOSH performed onsite evaluations of three casinos, reviewed logs of work-related injuries and illnesses, interviewed employees, and took personal breathing zone and area air samples to measure environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Multiple components of ETS were found in the air samples. Urine samples from casino workers had elevated levels of NNAL, a known carcinogen and biomarker for ETS, after their work shifts. The report concludes that casinos should implement casino-wide smoke-free policies and develop smoking cessation programs for employees. Click here to download the full report.
Overview of smoking policies by cruise line
Planning a cruise vacation but concerned about secondhand smoke exposure while aboard the ship? This article outlines the smoking policies of the major cruise lines in North America. While no cruise line serving North America has gone completely smoke-free, many have strict restrictions regarding smoking onboard. No US-based cruise ships allow any smoking within any of the on-board dining venues, including the theatre areas. Click here to read more.
Students, animals learn effects of second-hand smoke on pets (CO)
Colorado State University recently held the school’s seventh annual “Stomp, Romp and Wag” event to educate pet owners who smoke about the damage that secondhand smoke can cause their pets. While the event focuses on students and their pets, it is also used as a forum to promote smoking cessation. Partially funded by the Colorado Collegiate Tobacco Prevention Initiative, the event targets 18 to 24 year olds, an age group with a high prevalence of tobacco use. Click here to read more, or click here to visit the event website.
More apartments snuffing out smoking (MN)
The number of smoke-free apartment communities in Minnesota is increasing, and about 2% of the state’s rental properties are currently completely smoke-free. Additionally, about 280 multiunit apartment complexes in the state have at least one smoke-free building. Property managers report that switching to smoke-free housing has several advantages. For example, the added cost of cleaning, renovating, and insuring rental units inhabited by smokers into is much greater than the costs for the non-smoking units. Going smoke-free also eliminates conflicts between smokers and non-smokers over smoke seeping in from other apartments. Click here to read more.
top
International
How smoke-free laws improve air quality: A global study of Irish pubs
A study of 128 Irish pubs in fifteen countries compared the air quality in smoke-free pubs versus those that permitted smoking. The smoke-free pubs had 93% lower levels of respirable suspended particles (an indicator of secondhand smoke levels) than the institutions that allowed smoking. Click here to read the abstract of the research, which was published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research.
top
Back to Table of Contents
|
