Statement On Release Of U.S. Surgeon General Report On Health Consequences Of Secondhand Smoke By American Lung Association
President and Chief Executive Officer, American Lung Association
Twenty years after the first U.S. Surgeon General's report on the dangers of secondhand smoke, the latest report issued today by the Surgeon General finds that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. The new report, entitled The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, confirms that secondhand smoke is a cause of lung cancer and heart disease and has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system. The report also concludes that eliminating smoking in all indoor spaces is the only way to fully protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke.
This report from our nation's top public health official underscores the need for comprehensive laws to protect everyone from the dangers of secondhand smoke. In the preface to this report, Surgeon General Carmona writes, "Nonsmokers need protection through the restriction of smoking in public places and workplaces…" Earlier this year, the American Lung Association kicked off its Smokefree Air 2010 Challenge calling on state and local policymakers to pass and strengthen smokefree air laws so that everyone in the country will be protected from the dangers of secondhand smoke. Just four years ago, only two states - California and Delaware - had strong smokefree air laws in place.
Currently, 14 states including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii1, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have already passed strong smokefree air laws.2 This November, voters in Arizona, Ohio and Nevada will have the chance to vote on similar measures. Elected officials across the country are realizing that smokefree laws have overwhelming popular support and a growing number of state and local governments are stepping up their efforts to enact smokefree laws.
Businesses are also realizing how important smokefree workplaces are for their employees and customers. Earlier this year, Westin Hotel and Resorts announced it would become the first major hotel brand in the United States and Canada to go smokefree throughout its hotels. In 2004, Zagat, publisher of restaurant and leisure guides for locations around the world, found that restaurant-goers in New York City were eating out more because of the smokefree law.
In the new report, the Surgeon General concludes that millions of Americans are still exposed to secondhand smoke in their workplaces and homes. Secondhand smoke has been classified as a known carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths and at least 35,000 heart disease deaths in adult nonsmokers in the United States each year. The Surgeon General's report also finds that separating smokers from nonsmokers and ventilating buildings does not eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke.
The report highlights the harmful consequences of exposing children to secondhand smoke and concludes that infants exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Children are especially vulnerable to other people's smoke, suffering acute respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia, more severe asthma and ear infections as a result. Secondhand smoke causes an estimated 150,000 to 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections in infants and children less than 18 months of age and an estimated 200,000 to 1 million have their asthma symptoms worsened by secondhand smoke annually. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 11 percent of children aged six years and under are exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes on a regular basis (four or more days per week).3
For more information about smoking cessation, please call 1-800 LUNG USA or log onto the American Lung Association's Freedom From Smoking® Online program at http://www.lungusa.org.
Additional Resources
TAKE ACTION: Smokefree U.S. Capitol
About the American Lung Association
Beginning our second century, the American Lung Association is the leading organization working to prevent lung disease and promote lung health. Lung disease death rates continue to increase while other leading causes of death have declined. The American Lung Association funds vital research on the causes of and treatments for lung disease. With the generous support of the public, the American Lung Association is "Improving life, one breath at a time." For more information about the American Lung Association or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) or log on to http://www.lungusa.org.
1 Hawaii's bill is currently awaiting the governor's signature. If signed, the bill will take effect November 16, 2006.
2 Colorado's law takes effect July 1. Montana's law will take full effect October 1, 2009. Utah's law will take full effect January 1, 2009. The District of Columbia's law will take full effect January 1, 2007. Puerto Rico's law will take effect in March 2007.
3 National Survey on Environmental Management of Asthma and Children's Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke (NSEMA/CEE), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2004.
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