For Immediate Release:
November 13, 2006

Contact:
Nanci Gonder
Office of Public Information
573-751-6062

Secondhand smoke fills air with harmful chemicals and health concerns
Smokers are urged to quit during the Great American Smokeout

Many smokers are not only jeopardizing their own health but also the health of their family, friends and
co-workers. That’s the message from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services as the
Great American Smokeout gets under way this week.

Secondhand smoke puts millions of nonsmokers at risk for a number of health threats including cancer and heart disease.

Every third Thursday in November, the American Cancer Society asks smokers across the country to give up smoking for at least a day and, hopefully, forever. This year’s Great American Smokeout is set for
Nov. 16.

“There is no longer any scientific doubt that secondhand smoke causes a great deal of disease and death,” said Julie Eckstein, director of the state health department. “Smokers must realize their smoke affects the health and well being of many other people.”

A new report issued earlier this year by the U.S. Surgeon General details the serious health conditions caused by secondhand smoke. Despite progress in limiting exposure to smoke, millions of Americans are still breathing secondhand smoke.

People who are exposed to smoke at work and in their homes are at greatest risk.

"The research is clear - secondhand smoke is a major health threat that causes disease, disability and premature death in nonsmoking adults and children," Eckstein said.

According to the surgeon general's report, there is no level of secondhand smoke that is risk free. The report noted that secondhand smoke contains many chemicals, such as formaldehyde, cyanide, ammonia, benzene, vinyl chloride and arsenic, that are known to cause cancer.

Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at work or home have a 20 to 30 percent greater risk of lung cancer and a 25 to 30 percent greater risk of developing heart disease, according to the report.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that in 2005, secondhand smoke caused about 3,000 nonsmokers to die from lung cancer and 46,000 nonsmokers to die from heart disease in the United States.

Adults aren’t the only ones dying from exposure to cigarette smoke. New research shows that secondhand smoke is a cause of sudden infant death syndrome.

The report also concluded that:

• Almost 60 percent of children age 3 to 11 in the United States are exposed to secondhand smoke.
• Children are especially vulnerable to the effects of secondhand smoke because their bodies are still developing. In addition to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, children breathing cigarette smoke are at increased risk for acute respiratory infections, ear problems and more severe asthma.
• Designated smoking areas, air-cleaning devices and ventilation systems cannot eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke. Eliminating smoking indoors is the only realistic way to protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke.

Secondhand smoke is also taking a financial toll on Americans. According to a study by the Society of Actuaries, the effects of secondhand smoke on the United States’ economy totaled more than $5 billion in direct medical costs and more than $5 billion in indirect costs. These costs include medical treatment for coronary heart disease and lung cancer resulting from secondhand smoke exposure and economic losses due to lost wages and benefits resulting from disability and premature death.

Missouri has one of the highest smoking rates in the nation – 23.4 percent of adults smoke, compared to the national average of 20.5 percent.

The state health department offers a statewide toll-free telephone counseling service to help Missourians quit smoking. The Missouri Tobacco Quitline provides callers with a counseling session and a kit of self-help materials. The Quitline number is 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

More information about Missouri’s Tobacco Quitline and the health risks related to smoking and secondhand smoke can be found at: www.dhss.mo.gov/SmokingAndTobacco/.

The surgeon general’s report on secondhand smoke, “The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke,” can be found at: www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/.

A fact sheet about the economic costs of secondhand smoke from the Society of Actuaries can be found at: www.soa.org/ccm/content/areas-of-practice/life-insurance/research/economic-effects-of-environmental-tobacco-smoke-SOA/.