Secondhand Smoke

Research

Maternal smoking may increase newborns' discomfort
Studies have shown that babies born to smokers are more prone to behavioral problems than non-smokers’ children, both as infants and later in life. These effects are often attributed to nicotine exposure, but a recent study explored another biological explanation: reduced monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) activity caused by smoke exposure. The researchers hypothesize that reduced MAO-A activity during the fetal period can affect the transmission of brain signals later in life. The researchers found significantly lowered MAO-A activity in both pregnant smokers and their newborns, compared to nonsmokers and their babies. Smokers’ babies also displayed more signs of discomfort in their facial expressions, which could be a result of decreased MAO-A activity. Further research is needed to confirm the behavioral implications of these findings. Click here to read a summary of the findings. Click here to read the abstract of the study in Biological Psychiatry.

Smoking and attitudes on smokefree air laws among club-going young adults (NY)
A report was released assessing the smoking rates and support for indoor smoking bans among club-going young adults in New York City. Almost half of the sample was smokers. It was found that gay, lesbian, and bisexual young adults were more likely to be smokers compared to the heterosexual participants, and that there were no differences in smoking rates among gender and race. A majority of both smokers (57.8%) and nonsmokers (77.3%) supported the smoking ban. Click here for an abstract of the report which was published in the September issue of Social Work in Public Health.

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Reports

The smoker next door: Handling unwanted tobacco smoke in apartments and condominiums
Because personal dwellings are typically not covered under existing legislation regulating smoking in public places, the Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation has developed a list of steps that nonsmokers can take to protect themselves from secondhand smoke in their homes. The report clarifies that ventilation systems are not an effective alternative to creating safer and healthier smoke-free living environments. The report also provides specific information on how nonsmokers can effectively and amicably resolve situations where they are being affected by a neighbor’s smoking. Click here to read about the recommended steps to take to achieve a smoke-free home.

TALC fact sheets on smokefree housing available in Spanish
The Technical Assistance Legal Center (TALC) has just released Spanish versions of several fact sheets on legal issues involving secondhand smoke in multi-unit housing (hojas informativas sobre las viviendas libres de humo). The fact sheets are intended to help communities and individuals better understand their options for dealing with unwanted secondhand smoke exposure in the home. All of these fact sheets can be downloaded – in Spanish and English – from TALC’s new website at www.phlpnet.org. Click here for a listing of the new fact sheets.

Infiltration of secondhand smoke into condominiums, apartments and other multi-unit dwellings: 2009
The Tobacco Control Legal Consortium announces its latest law synopsis, an update of the TCLC’s popular 2004 publication, which summarizes the legal remedies for landlords, condominium associations and tenants of multi-unit dwellings concerned about secondhand smoke infiltration. The document begins from the standpoint that there is no legally recognized “right to smoke” in either public or private housing. Landlords may prohibit smoking by new tenants, and in many cases, existing tenants, sometimes even without explicit language prohibiting smoking in the lease. Click here to download a PDF of the updated law synopsis.

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