Smoking, and Its Risks, Moves Outside
< May 23, 2007 > -- Bar and restaurant smoking bans are forcing more and more smokers to head for the exit, only to create noxious "smoke zones" on the sidewalk, new research shows.
Researchers at the University of Georgia (UGA)College of Public Health in Athens, Georgia are hoping to find out whether secondhand smoke from smokers clustered outside these establishments is posing a health hazard of its own.
The researchers presented findings from a study in which they measured the increase of pollutants from secondhand smoke. The presentation was made earlier this week at the American Thoracic Society's International Conference in San Francisco, Cal.
"In the past few years, we've effectively banned smoking in most public places in many parts of the country, and one unintended result [is] these 'smoke zones' in front of restaurants and bars," notes study author L.P. Naeher, Ph.D., an assistant professor at UGA's College of Public Health.
"This is a relatively new phenomenon," he adds. "So, we wanted to study it, to see what the smoking exposure is for nonsmoking patrons and for the workers. And what we found is that the level of secondhand smoke in front of restaurants and bars was several times higher than the safety standards established by the [US Environmental Protection Agency] EPA's Clean Air Act."
Signed into law in 1963, and most recently updated in 1990 and in 2005, the EPA's Clean Air Act sets national air quality regulations and air pollution standards.
According to the American Lung Association (ALA), the EPA classifies secondhand smoke as a carcinogen containing hundreds of toxic chemicals, including formaldehyde, benzene, vinyl chloride, ammonia, and cyanide.
The ALA estimates suggest that in the US about 3,400 lung cancer deaths and almost 70,000 heart disease deaths occur each year as a result of exposure to secondhand smoke. And last year, a US Surgeon General report revealed that nearly half of all nonsmoking Americans are routinely exposed to secondhand smoke.
“Athens is a college town, and we have thousands of college kids standing shoulder to shoulder outside bars and restaurants on weekend nights. In select areas outside certain establishments, we believe many of these young people are exposed to elevated levels of secondhand smoke,” says Dr. Naeher.
“You can have 40 to 50 smokers in a small area - which translates to fairly aggressive exposures to secondhand smoke, even if it’s outside. We want to know what those exposures are, and if it’s unhealthy, we want to tell policy makers who are making decisions about these regulations,” Dr. Naeher explains.
In their study, Dr. Naeher's group measured the level of pollutants in the air outside several drinking and eating establishments in and around Athens.
Athens has more than 100 bars and restaurants, all of which began implementing a full smoking ban in 2005. The team tested air near two bars and two restaurants, plus one location away from restaurants and smokers.
On two consecutive Friday and Saturday afternoons, air sample readings were taken directly outside each locale every 30 seconds. Each of the four establishments had a designated smokers area with or without seating, either outside the main entrance or in an internal courtyard.
The researchers sampled levels of smoking-linked carbon monoxide and fine particle matter. The latter, called PM2.5, can penetrate deep into the lung.
They found that a rise in the pollutants was associated with an increase in the number of smokers, and not with motor vehicle traffic.
“This suggests that we can measure the increase in these pollutants from secondhand smoke,” Dr. Naeher says.
The researchers are conducting a follow-up study in which they will collect urine and saliva samples from students to look for chemicals that are specific to cigarette smoke. This should provide more definitive data about how much secondhand smoke people congregating outside bars and restaurants are exposed to.
“There’s a wide range of health effects that are tied to secondhand smoke,” Dr. Naeher says. “With more inside smoking bans, more people seem to be smoking outside. Are we creating zones that are potentially unhealthy? That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”
Always consult your physician for more information.
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Secondhand smoke, smoke that is exhaled by smokers and smoke emitted from the burning end of a lit cigarette, cigar, or pipe, causes nearly 3,000 lung cancer deaths each year in persons who do not smoke themselves. Also called involuntary or passive smoking, secondhand smoke can also lead to heart disease.
The following are some of the most common symptoms associated with exposure to secondhand smoke. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:
- irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat
- coughing
- excessive phlegm (mucus in the airways)
- chest discomfort or pain
Children and infants exposed to tobacco smoke are more likely to experience ear infections, and asthma, and are at a higher risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) than children and infants without the same exposure.
A report issued by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1993 classified secondhand smoke as a Group A carcinogen, a designation which means that there is sufficient evidence that the substance causes cancer in humans.
The Group A designation has been used by EPA for only 15 other pollutants, including asbestos, radon, and benzene. Only secondhand smoke has actually been shown in studies to cause cancer at typical environmental levels.
According to the EPA, every year an estimated 150,000 to 300,000 children under 18 months of age get pneumonia or bronchitis from breathing secondhand tobacco smoke. Secondhand smoke is a risk factor for the development of asthma in children and it worsens the condition of up to one million asthmatic children.
Always consult your physician for more information.
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