The U.
S.
Surgeon General wasn't just blowing smoke when he recently released what some are calling the "...
most influential surgeon general's report in 15 years.
" The report is not a new study, but a 670-page review of studies done on secondhand smoke since the last surgeon general's report in 1986.
The results of the report are not pretty...
...
secondhand smoke(smoke that is inhaled not by smoking, but by being in the same airspace as a smoker as they are puffing away) has been conclusively shown to cause heart disease, lung cancer, trigger asthma attacks, make blood more prone to clotting (increasing the risk of a stroke), damage arteries and cause changes in cells that can eventually lead to cancer.
Secondhand smoke kills, by causing lung cancer, at least 3000 non-smokers every year.
No less tragically, but perhaps more shocking, greater than 35,000 non-smokers die annually of heart disease caused by secondhand smoke.
Infants who are exposed to secondhand smoke are at risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), and the smoke exposure also makes them more prone to bronchitis, pneumonia, worsening asthma attacks, ear infections and less than optimal lung growth.
And don't make the mistake of thinking you can just open a window...
that will not protect your children.
If you must smoke, or you have friends or relatives that do, have them go outside to light up.
Never smoke in a car with a child.
What can you do? If you smoke, see your doctor or other licensed health care provider and talk to them about quitting.
There is help for you and with support, you can do it.
If you have friends or family who smoke, encourage them to quit.
Do not patronize businesses that allow smoking.
If you own a business, consider making it a smoke-free workplace.
The lives and health of our families are at stake.
S.
Surgeon General wasn't just blowing smoke when he recently released what some are calling the "...
most influential surgeon general's report in 15 years.
" The report is not a new study, but a 670-page review of studies done on secondhand smoke since the last surgeon general's report in 1986.
The results of the report are not pretty...
...
secondhand smoke(smoke that is inhaled not by smoking, but by being in the same airspace as a smoker as they are puffing away) has been conclusively shown to cause heart disease, lung cancer, trigger asthma attacks, make blood more prone to clotting (increasing the risk of a stroke), damage arteries and cause changes in cells that can eventually lead to cancer.
Secondhand smoke kills, by causing lung cancer, at least 3000 non-smokers every year.
No less tragically, but perhaps more shocking, greater than 35,000 non-smokers die annually of heart disease caused by secondhand smoke.
Infants who are exposed to secondhand smoke are at risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), and the smoke exposure also makes them more prone to bronchitis, pneumonia, worsening asthma attacks, ear infections and less than optimal lung growth.
And don't make the mistake of thinking you can just open a window...
that will not protect your children.
If you must smoke, or you have friends or relatives that do, have them go outside to light up.
Never smoke in a car with a child.
What can you do? If you smoke, see your doctor or other licensed health care provider and talk to them about quitting.
There is help for you and with support, you can do it.
If you have friends or family who smoke, encourage them to quit.
Do not patronize businesses that allow smoking.
If you own a business, consider making it a smoke-free workplace.
The lives and health of our families are at stake.