Dangers of smoke listed (01/25/08)

To the editor:

It is time that we educate the public on secondhand smoke and the Surgeon General's findings on this hot topic. The following are the major conclusions in this report:

•Secondhand smoke causes premature death and disease in children and adults that do not smoke.

•Children exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory infections, ear problems, and more severe asthma. Smoking by parents causes respiratory symptoms and slows lung growth in their children.

•Exposure of adults to secondhand smoke has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and causes coronary heart disease and lung cancer.

•The scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

•Many millions of Americans, both children and adults, are still exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes and workplace despite substantial progress in tobacco control.

•Eliminating smoking in indoor spaces fully protects non-smokers from exposure to secondhand smoke. Separating smokers from non-smokers, cleaning the air, and ventilating buildings cannot eliminate exposures of non-smokers to secondhand smoke.

Eighty percent of adults are non-smokers, and many adults and children can live their daily lives without being exposed to secondhand smoke. Nevertheless, involuntary exposure to secondhand smoke remains a serious health hazard.

This information is from the U.S. Surgeon General's 2006 Executive Summary from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Deb McGriff-Tharp,

director, Tobacco-Free

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