State Health Director Urges N.C. Worksites
to Go Smoke-free:
New Surgeon General's Report on Secondhand Smoke and Newest Data Make Danger More Clear
RALEIGH—In response to the new U.S. Surgeon General's Report, which raises new concerns about the dangers of involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke , State Health Director Leah Devlin warned North Carolinians this morning to avoid indoor exposure to secondhand smoke and called for all North Carolina workplaces to become smoke-free.
“The health effects of involuntary exposure to smoking are more widespread than previously thought,” said Devlin, speaking from the N.C. Division of Public Health's office complex on Six Forks Road in Raleigh . “The new Surgeon General's Report makes it clearer than ever that no one should be exposed to secondhand smoke on the job or in places they go to eat, play, or relax.”
U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona yesterday issued a comprehensive scientific report, The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, which concludes that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25 to 30 percent and lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent, the report says. The finding is of major public health concern due to the fact that nearly half of all nonsmoking Americans are still regularly exposed to secondhand smoke.
Six main findings of the report are that:
- Secondhand smoke causes premature death and disease in children and in adults who 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 workplaces despite substantial progress in tobacco control.
- Eliminating smoking in indoor spaces fully protects nonsmokers from exposure to secondhand smoke. Simply separating smokers from nonsmokers, cleaning the air, and ventilating buildings cannot eliminate exposures of nonsmokers to secondhand smoke.
Devlin saluted the progress made in North Carolina in recent years. “ Thanks to the hard work of the North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust fund and its chair, Lt. Governor Beverly Perdue, 75 of the state's 115 school systems have banned all tobacco use on all their property,” she said. “ And the North Carolina Hospital Association and N.C. Prevention Partners report that 39 of our hospitals are now 100%
tobacco-free.”
Many restaurants are voluntarily going smoke-free across North Carolina , Devlin said. Lexington Barbecue in Davidson County , well-known throughout the region, went smoke-free in September of 2005. In a letter to Dr. Devlin, owner Wayne Monk shared that it was an easy transition with no negative impact on sales. “People are still shaking my hand and thanking me for the smoke-free environment. Families love it,” wrote Mr. Monk.
However, Devlin expressed concern that exposure to secondhand smoke remains high among adults. While the majority of white-collar workers (73.4%) in North Carolina work in smoke-free environments, fewer blue-collar (55.6%) and service workers (61.2%)—especially males—are protected by policies eliminating s econdhand smoke at work.
“It's an unfair truth that North Carolina residents least likely to be protected from secondhand smoke on the job are those with lower-paying jobs and the least amount of power to change their work situation to protect their health,” Devlin said. “Smoke-free environments are both good for health and good for the bottom line. We know what works.”
“ I challenge all North Carolina employers to take immediate steps to make all of the workplaces in North Carolina smoke-free,” Devlin said.
For free help in quitting smoking, people can call a quit coach at the N.C. Tobacco Use Cessation Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW or can go to the website, www.quitnownc.org.
The Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Task Force educates North Carolinians about the relationship between secondhand smoke and heart disease on its “Get the Buzz” Web site at www.startwithyourheart.org.
A detailed summary of the Surgeon General's report, The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, and other related information can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Web site at www.cdc.gov/tobacco.
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