Secondhand Smoke

Research

Tobacco policies: Smoking bans reduce exposure to secondhand smoke and reduce heart attacks, review finds
A review article published this month concludes that strict smokefree policies are effective in reducing secondhand smoke exposure, particularly among hospitality workers. The review found consistent evidence that smoking bans reduce hospital admissions for cardiac events such as heart attacks, and other improvements in health indicators were identified. There was also some evidence that smokefree policies affect social norms about smoking, and that smokefree policies could influence smokers to quit. Click here to read more, or click here to access the abstract of the article in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

Adolescents validly report their exposure to secondhand smoke
A study investigating the validity of child-reported secondhand smoke exposure found that while parental reports are preferable, child-reported exposure had adequate validity and could contribute to the prediction of cotinine levels (a biomarker of smoke exposure). Parents and children aged eight to thirteen retrospectively reported the child’s secondhand smoke exposure, which was then compared to the child’s urine cotinine. The results showed that the validity of parents’ and children’s reports was similar, but that parents were less likely to underreport secondhand smoke exposure. Children’s and parents’ reports together predicted cotinine levels better than either report alone. Click here to read the abstract of the study, published in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology.

Tobacco smoke exposure in nonsmoking hospitality workers before and after a state smoking ban
A study conducted by the University of Minnesota’s Tobacco Use Research Center indicates that smoking bans in bars and restaurants effectively protect nonsmoking employees. The urine from 24 bar and restaurant workers was analyzed for biomarkers of nicotine and carcinogen exposure before and after a comprehensive smokefree law was implemented in Minnesota. The researchers found significant decreases in both nicotine and carcinogen biomarkers after the ban went into effect, adding support to the argument that smokefree policies protect hospitality employees. Click here to read the abstract of the study, published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Passive cigarette smoke exposure and soft contact lens wear
A new study presented in Optometry and Vision Science shows that exposure to secondhand smoke negatively affects the eye surface of soft contact lens wearers. Researchers examined the eyes of twelve contact lens wearers and ten non-wearers before and after brief passive cigarette smoke exposure in a smoke chamber. They found that mean tear evaporation rates, tear film break up times, and vital staining scores were significantly worse in contact lens wearers than non-wearers, indicating tear instability and damage to the eye surface cells, even after only brief exposure to cigarette smoke. Read the abstract of the article here.

Secondhand smoke ups risk of sinus, nasal problems
Researchers have found that exposure to secondhand smoke increases the chances of suffering from chronic nasal and sinus problems, or chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). The researchers used a case-control study design to compare secondhand smoke exposure among 306 nonsmokers diagnosed with CRS and 306 nonsmoking control subjects. The results indicate that those with CRS were more likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke at home, work, public places, and private functions, with exposure at work and at private functions significantly more likely in CRS patients (odds ratios of 2.81 and 2.60, respectively). A strong dose-dependent relationship between CRS and the number of exposures was also observed, and the researchers estimate that secondhand smoke exposure is responsible for 40% of all cases of CRS. Read more here, or click here for the abstract of the study, published in the Archives of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery.

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Reports

TCN webinar materials: Smokefree Air as a Social Justice Issue
Materials from the Tobacco Control Network’s March 24th webinar are now available on the TCN website. PowerPoint presentations from all the speakers are available, as well as handouts from all the National Networks. The handouts include perspectives from the National Networks on smoke-free air as a social justice issue for specific populations, actions the networks are taking, ways states and communities can become involved, and recommended resources. This webinar was the TCN’s second webinar in this year’s Strategies for Smoke-Free Air Policy Implementation Teleconference Series. Click here to find out more about the webinar, and to download the materials.

Tobacco is toxic for Toto, too
This April, in honor Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month, anti-tobacco group Legacy has teamed up with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) to challenge pet owners to quit smoking to protect their pets from the dangers of secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke has been shown to cause lung and nasal cancers in dogs, lymphoma in cats, and allergies and respiratory problems in other animals. Click here to read more, or visit Legacy’s smoking cessation website.

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International

Smoking bans cut hospital admissions: study (Canada)
A study investigating the effects of Toronto’s 2001 restaurant smoking ban has found that hospital admissions due to cardiovascular conditions decreased by 39% and admissions due to respiratory conditions decreased by 33% during the period the policy was implemented. Hospital admission rates in the city were calculated and compared from January 1996 to March 2006. While a comparison to two control cities without smokefree policies suggests that Toronto’s smokefree law accounts for a considerable proportion of the decline in admissions, the researchers note that other factors, such as a drop in the number of smokers and improvements in preventive care, also contributed. Click here to read more, or here to read the study abstract, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Half of kids swimming in secondhand smoke (China)
Research done by the Shanghai Children’s Medical Center indicates that about half of Chinese youth are exposed to secondhand smoke, both at home and in public. The data showed that 50% of children in China are exposed in public places, 45% in their family home, and 6% while on public transportation. It is estimated that 540 million Chinese people are exposed to secondhand smoke, with 180 million of them under the age of fifteen. Experts use these estimates as proof that more should be done to protect children from secondhand smoke. Click here to read more.

Can you please put it out? Predicting nonsmokers’ assertiveness intentions at work (Greece)
A new study examined the psychosocial predictors of nonsmokers’ intentions to ask smokers not to smoke at work. Data were collected from 137 employed Greek nonsmokers on their intentions to be assertive, past smoking habits, age, gender, and employer’s smoking policy. Most nonsmokers, 77.4%, reported that exposure to secondhand smoke was an annoyance at work, with 37% of them having asked a smoker not to smoke in the last thirty days. The strongest predictors of nonsmokers’ assertiveness were perceived norms of other nonsmokers’ assertiveness, perceived control over being assertive, annoyance with secondhand smoke exposure, and past assertive behavior. This suggests that efficacy training and messages that the majority of other nonsmokers are annoyed by secondhand smoke and half of them are assertive toward smokers could promote assertiveness in nonsmokers. Read the abstract of the study, published in Tobacco Control.

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