Fewer non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke
San Jose Mercury News, 07/11/2008
A new government study has found that the percentage of people who are exposed to secondhand smoke has declined dramatically since the early 1990s.
According to the new study by the Centers for Disease Control, researchers found that 46 percent of non-smokers had nicotine in their bloodstream, down from 84 percent among individuals tested in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The main reason cited for the decline is the growing number of laws and policies that ban smoking in workplaces, bars, restaurants and public places as well as continuing decline in adult smoking rates.
However, the researchers emphasized that the level of secondhand smoke exposure is far from good news. “Its still high,” said Cinzia Marano, one of the study’s authors. “There is no safe level of exposure [to secondhand smoke].”
Studies have shown that secondhand smoke increases non smokers’ lung cancer risk by at least 20 percent and their heart disease risk by at least 25 percent. Children exposed to secondhand smoke are especially susceptible to asthma attacks, ear infections, and other serious health problems.
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