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Smoke Free Policies Lead to Drops in Heart Attack Hospitalizations
On January 2,
2010 a new state law will go into effect that will make enclosed
areas in almost all restaurants, bars and lodging establishments
smoke-free. Under House Bill 2, Session Law 2009-27 “An Act to
Prohibit Smoking in Certain Public Places”, smoking will not be
allowed in any North Carolina establishment that serves food and
receives sanitation inspections from the health department or any
bar that holds a state permit authorizing it to sell malt beverages
(e.g., beer), wine, or mixed drinks on its premises, with very few
exceptions.
The Yancey
County Health Department will be working closely with local
establishments to help them comply with this important new law in
order to protect the health of workers and customers.
On December
31, 2008, the Centers for Disease Control Office on Smoking and
Health released the results of a groundbreaking three year study.
The study found there were 399 hospital admissions for heart attacks
in Pueblo, Colorado in the 18 months before the city’s smoke-free
ordinance took effect, compared to 237 heart attack hospitalizations
for up to three years after the ordinance was implemented- a decline
of 41 percent. Researchers also looked at two nearby towns that had
not implemented smoke-free ordinances and found no significant
decline in heart attack hospitalizations during the same time
periods.
Long-term
exposure to secondhand smoke, which contains more than 4,000
chemicals, including at least 69 carcinogens, is associated with a
25 to 30 percent increased risk of heart disease in adult
nonsmokers. Secondhand smoke exposure causes an estimated 46,000
heart disease deaths each year among U.S. nonsmokers. Heart disease
is the leading cause of death for Yancey County, claiming 52 lives
each year. Yancey also has a higher that average adult smoking rate
compared to the state.
Breathing
secondhand smoke makes blood platelets stick together, the same way
they do in a regular smoker leading to dangerous blood clots. Even a
short time in a smoky room causes platelets in blood to stick
together. Secondhand smoke also damages the lining of blood vessels.
Together, damage to the blood vessels and clots that block blood
flow can cause a heart attack.
The Surgeon
General has also found that secondhand smoke is a proven cause of
lung cancer, the second leading cause of death for residents of
Yancey County, claiming 14 lives each year. Exposure is also
associated with an increased risk of stroke, serious respiratory
illnesses such as bronchitis and asthma, low birth weight and sudden
infant death syndrome. We now know that no amount of secondhand
smoke is safe, therefore eliminating smoking in indoor spaces is the
only way to fully protect nonsmokers.
It has been
found that laws making restaurants and bars smoke-free are
associated with rapid improvements in the health of the restaurant
and bar workers, including reductions in self-reported respiratory
symptoms and improved lung function. Smoke-free laws are associated
with some people deciding to quit smoking and over time adopting
smoke-free rules at home. It also sets a good role model for our
young people. The evidence is clear that smoke-free laws improve
public health without harming business, as 79 percent of North
Carolina adults and 76 percent of Yancey County adults are
nonsmokers.
For more
information about the health effects of secondhand smoke, visit
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/secondhand_smoke/index.htm.
For more
information about the new state law, please contact the Yancey
County
Health
Department at 682-6118 EXT 29.

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This page was last
updated on
Friday, 20 November 2009 04:01 PM
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