Smoke-free Zones Decrease Risk of Heart Attack
January 20, 2010
According to the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) latest report, Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Cardiovascular Effects, secondhand smoke increases the risk of coronary heart disease and heart attacks by 25-30%. This finding enhances similar data showing smoke-free zones protect the health of non-smokers and smokers alike.
“People who allow smoking in their homes are significantly more likely to experience a heart attack when compared to their smoke-free counterparts,” said Tania Charette, Media Coordinator for the Utah Department of Health’s (UDOH) Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program. “There is no question that smoke-free homes have a positive health effect,” Charette continued.
According to the study, “Smoke-free legislation works synergistically with secondhand smoke education and tobacco cessation programs, increasing measurable results,” said David Neville, spokesperson for the UDOH Tobacco Prevention and Control Program. “These results show an association between smoke-free legislation and reductions in heart attacks. There are also positive economic benefits for employers and venues that are smoke-free,” he added.
Although there has been great success in reducing secondhand smoke exposure in Utah, there is more work to be done. According to Scott Brown of the American Heart Association’s Utah office, “Tobacco use kills more than 1,100 Utahns each year and costs the state more than $345 million annually in health care bills, including $104 million to Medicaid alone.”
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