US Surgeon General report on secondhand smoke

The U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona has just issued a comprehensive scientific report The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General (NB the report itself is 19Mb but an Executive Summary is available), which concludes that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. See also the Surgeon General's press release on this.

According to the report "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.”

ADAVB members are reminded that they can obtain resources to aid their patients to stop smoking through Quit Victoria.