The Federal Government Gets On Board with Second Hand Smoke

Back on January, I wrote about the state of California deciding to regulate environmental tobacco smoke (or second hand smoke) as a toxic air contaminant, just like benzene from oil refineries or hexavalent chromium from chrome plating operations. I speculated at the time that the federal government under the Bush Administration was going to be a long time in following the state’s lead.

Things happened a little more quickly than I expected. Today’s WaPo notes that the Surgeon General has issued a report on second hand smoke. The report, The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, finds that even brief secondhand smoke exposure can harm human health, and concludes that eliminating indoor smoking is necessary to protect nonsmokers from exposure to second hand smoke.

“The health effects of secondhand smoke exposure are more pervasive than we previously thought,” said Surgeon General Carmona, vice admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service. “The scientific evidence is now indisputable: secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance. It is a serious health hazard that can lead to disease and premature death in children and nonsmoking adults.” Secondhand smoke contains more than 50 cancer-causing chemicals, and is itself a known human carcinogen. Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke inhale many of the same toxins as smokers. Even brief exposure to secondhand smoke has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and increases risk for heart disease and lung cancer, the report says. In addition, the report notes that because the bodies of infants and children are still developing, they are especially vulnerable to the poisons in secondhand smoke.

“The good news is that, unlike some public health hazards, secondhand smoke exposure is easily prevented,” Surgeon General Carmona said. “Smoke-free indoor environments are proven, simple approaches that prevent exposure and harm.” The report finds that even the most sophisticated ventilation systems cannot completely eliminate secondhand smoke exposure and that only smoke-free environments afford full protection.

Easily prevented, unless you’re a state legislature that serves the tobacco industry and the Chamber of Commerce rather than the voters. The full report can be found here.