Clean Air 'epidemic' spreads across U.S.

American Heart Association
Thursday, 25 September 2003

Second-hand smoke contributes to 35,000 deaths from coronary heart disease each year - but a new trend is helping save lives by cleaning up "indoor" air

The evidence against secondhand smoke has been mounting for years prompting cities and states to pass laws in what they might call a clean indoor air "epidemic." The American Heart Association and other World Heart Day partners say it's a movement that could save millions of lives and reduce the incidence of heart disease. Exposure to environmental (secondhand) tobacco smoke in the United States results in about 35,000 deaths from coronary heart disease among nonsmokers each year, according to the American Heart Association's Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics - 2003 Update. The risk of death from coronary heart disease increases by up to 30 percent among people regularly exposed to environmental tobacco smoke at home or work. "The science is clear," said JoAnn Manson, M.D., an epidemiologist and chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "Evidence linking environmental tobacco smoke to heart disease has been mounting for two decades. Inhaling these pollutants damages the lining of the arteries, makes the blood more likely to clot, and increases levels of inflammatory markers in the blood such as C-reactive protein. These adverse effects combine to increase the risk of clogged arteries, which can cause a heart attack."

Statewide laws to ban smoking in public places are working in California, Delaware, New York, Florida, Connecticut and Maine. Major cities with effective smoke-free ordinances include Boston; Dallas; Austin; Albuquerque, N.M.; Bloomington, Ind.; Pueblo, Col.; Lexington, Ky.; and Helena, Mt. Concerns of restaurants and bars in smoke-free zones that the new policy would hurt local economies have been proven unfounded, according to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. In July, the New York City Department of Health released study results that showed employment in restaurants and bars grew by nearly 10,000 jobs since the ban took effect. Other research has found that smoke-free laws have no long-term negative impact on restaurant sales. The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that secondhand smoke increases the workplace death risk from 7 to 16 per 1,000 workers. This far exceeds OSHA's acceptable excess risk level of 1 per 1,000 workers. According to the American Heart Association, 47 percent of working adults age 17 and older that don't use tobacco report regular exposure to environmental tobacco smoke at home or work.

The fourth annual World Heart Day will be held in over 90 countries around the world on Sunday, September 28, 2003. Its aim is to increase awareness of cardiovascular disease risk factors and encourage people to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

For more information, or to contact American Heart Association, see their website at: www.americanheart.org