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IF YOU SMOKE, OR IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO SMOKES, THIS SHEET CONTAINS IMPORTANT HEALTH INFORMATION |
If you are not quite ready to quit tobacco to save your own life, have you thought about quitting to save the lives of your spouse or children or coworkers? Consider the evidence from two recent scientific reports.
On June 30, 2004, a study published in the British Medical Journal found that exposure to secondhand smoke is even more dangerous than previously thought and increases the risk of heart disease among non-smokers by as much as 60 percent. This study provides the most compelling evidence yet that secondhand smoke causes heart disease. It is the first study to show a direct physical link between secondhand smoke exposure and an increased risk of heart disease. The study, conducted over 20 years by researchers at St. George's Hospital Medical School in London, is particularly important because it measured exposure to secondhand smoke from all sources -- including in bars, restaurants, and other workplaces, as well as in the home -- based on blood levels of a nicotine byproduct called cotinine. They found that high blood cotinine levels were associated with a 50 to 60 percent higher risk of coronary heart disease.
In 2002, 43% of American non-smokers had detectable levels of cotinine in their bodies.
On June 27 of this year, U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona issued a comprehensive scientific report 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 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.
According to Dr. Steven A. Schroeder of the University of California, “A small increase in the smoking cessation rate would reap powerful public health benefits, especially when multiplied over the population of smokers. Of 46 million smokers, one third to one half will die prematurely from smoking. Increasing the baseline cessation rate from 2.5% to 10% would save an additional 2.4 million lives in any given year. Increasing the quit rate to 15% would save 4 million lives. No other health intervention or combination of interventions comes close to making such an impact.” (Journal of the American Medical Association, July 27, 2005)
When you are ready to quit, there is free help available at
1- 800- QUIT-NOW
