Secondhand danger
17th Nov 2006, 01:52 GMT
Filed under: Research, Smoking Hey there, smokey -- you mind smoking somewhere else? It appears that secondhand smoke may be more detrimental than we initially thought. On top of that, evidence brought to the fore by the U.S. Surgeon General, there truly is no such thing as risk-free secondhand smoke. So, if you think that asking your friend our spouse to stand by a window while they puff is enough to keep you safe, think again. A claim of this kind would not be complete without the statistics to support it, so the Surgeon General offered the following: people who are exposed to secondhand smoke at work or at home increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25 to 30 percent and lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent. The findings also suggest that it really does not take a great deal of exposure to this smoke for it to begin taking effect. I know that I personally have been around a number of people who smoke in a corner of the room, tucked away from the rest of the group and leaning toward a barely opened window or doorway. It's courtesy on their part, doing what they think is enough to keep the smoke away from the non-smokers. But, based on this new information, it appears as though this courtesy may be nothing of the sort after all, for it simply may not be enough to keep others free from harm. Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments