Published: October 19, 2009 09:13 am      

More reasons not to smoke

Sunday, October 18, 2009 — New research confirms that secondhand smoke from cigarettes can cause acute coronary events such as heart attack and chest pain, according to a report released this past week by the Institute of Medicine (IOM).

The IOM report, “Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Cardiovascular Effects: Making Sense of the Evidence,” sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggests the strength of association between secondhand smoke and acute coronary events is compelling and provides evidence showing a cause-and-effect relationship between secondhand smoke exposure and heart problems.

“These findings are further evidence that North Carolina can expect to see significant health benefits when our smoke-free law goes into effect in January,” said David Goff, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention and professor of Public Health Sciences and Internal Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

“North Carolina struggles with cardiovascular disease, so any policy that reduces heart attacks is sure to help many people,” Goff continued.

“At a time of great concern over the financial sustainability of our healthcare system, smoke-free laws represent an inexpensive approach to reducing heart attacks, and, probably, other cardiovascular conditions.”

North Carolina’s smoke-free law goes into effect in January 2010. It prohibits smoking in restaurants and bars, but does not apply to other workplaces.

The findings confirm data from the 2006 U.S. Surgeon General report on the consequences of involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke that stated there “is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.” Nearly 440,000 Americans die each year of smoking-related illnesses and about 38,000 of these deaths are from secondhand smoke. About 35 percent of those deaths are related to cardiovascular disease.

“This report makes it increasingly clear that smoke-free policies are having a positive impact in reducing the heart attack rate in many communities,” said Clyde Yancy, M.D., American Heart Association President.

“There’s no question that secondhand smoke has an adverse health impact in workplaces and public environments. We must continue to enact comprehensive smoke-free laws across the country to save lives and reduce the number of new smokers.”

“More Americans are trying to limit their exposure to secondhand smoke to improve their health and reduce the burden of healthcare costs related to tobacco use,” said Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association.

“Smoke-free policies will make a huge dent in the $10 billion spent annually on healthcare costs associated with exposure to secondhand smoke.”

Currently, 70 percent of the nation has smoke-free laws for workplaces, restaurants or bars.