A New Cigarette Hazard: 'Third-Hand Smoke'
Parents who smoke often open a window or turn on a fan to clear the air for their children, but experts now have identified a related threat to children's health that isn't as easy to get rid of: third-hand smoke.

That's the term being used to describe the invisible yet toxic brew of gases and particles clinging to smokers' hair and clothing, not to mention cushions and carpeting, that lingers long after second-hand smoke has cleared from a room. The residue includes heavy metals, carcinogens and even radioactive materials that young children can get on their hands and ingest, especially if they’re crawling or playing on the floor. ...more

Study: Ban on smoke paid off! CDC says research shows sharp decrease in hospitalizations for heart attacks.
A smoking ban in one Colorado city led to a dramatic drop in heart attack hospitalizations within three years, a sign of just how serious a health threat secondhand smoke is, government researchers said Wednesday.

The study, the longest-running of its kind, showed the rate of hospitalized cases dropped 41 percent in the three years after the ban of workplace smoking in Pueblo, Colo., took effect. There was no such drop in two neighboring areas, and researchers believe it's clear the ban was responsible....more

10 Smokiest U.S. Cities —and 10 Most Smoke-Free, Too
On the heels of Monday's Supreme Court decision that even "light" cigarettes pose severe health risks and that smokers can sue tobacco companies for advertising otherwise, U.S. News brings you a list of metropolitan areas where smoking rates remain high....more

The Freedom to Breathe: Believe the Facts, Not the Fears, The Helena, MT Study
In a study published in a recent edition of the British Medical Journal, researchers found that hospital admissions for heart attacks in Helena, Montana, fell by 40% during the six months that a smokefree workplaces law was implemented. The number quickly returned to its former level after the law was struck down in court. This study is especially important when you consider that the leading cause of health care costs is treating heart disease. This study suggests that “smoke-free laws not only protect people from the long-term dangers of secondhand smoke but that they may also be associated with a rapid decrease in heart attacks ...more

Mecklenburg County Indoor Air Quality Monitoring Study
A study of air quality in indoor restaurants utilized a Personal Aerosol Monitor to measure the levels of particulate matter 2.5 microns in size (PM2.5). Particles of this size are released in significant amounts from burning cigarettes and are easily inhaled into the lungs with serious health effects. Air quality measurements taken continuously for a minimum of 30 minutes in each of 34 venues, 25 smoking and 9 non-smoking. The study found that air quality in indoor restaurants Air quality in restaurants that allow smoking in designated areas was 5x worse than smoke-free venues, and 12x worse in venues that allow smoking anywhere. One venue was, on average, 28x worse than the average smoke-free venue...more

Philip Morris USA Statement on Secondhand Smoke
Philip Morris USA believes that the public should be guided by the conclusions of public health officials regarding the health effects of secondhand smoke in deciding whether to be in places where secondhand smoke is present, or if they are smokers, when and where to smoke around others...more