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| For more information contact: Joe Thornton For immediate release Short-term secondhand smoke exposure may trigger heart attacks Secondhand tobacco smoke contains at least 250 chemicals that are known to be toxic or carcinogenic. It is responsible for more than 35,000 heart disease deaths in the U.S. each year, as well as 3,000 lung cancer deaths. A new study published this month in the British Medical Journal reports that the implementation of a comprehensive local clean indoor air ordinance in Helena, Montana, may have resulted in a rapid reduction in heart attacks. The study found hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarction declined by about 40 percent during the six months the ordinance was in effect and rebounded after the ordinance was suspended. Dr. Terry Pechacek, associate director of science, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office on Smoking and Health, who was invited to write a commentary on the study, said, "This study is important because it focuses attention on the large body of evidence that suggests that secondhand smoke exposure causes surprisingly large increases in acute cardiovascular risk." According to Pechacek, research indicates that nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at typical levels may incur more than one-third of the heart disease risk of someone who smokes 20 cigarettes a day. Also, even short-term exposures – lasting as little as 30 minutes – may pose significant risks, especially in persons who already have or are at special risk of heart disease. These effects are quite different from those of secondhand smoke exposure on lung cancer, where the very significant risk increases over years of exposure. The commentary reviews recent evidence on specific mechanisms in the body that may account for these findings. – 30 – |