Smoking: They're at it again

If this need to go into D&D, so be it. But this doesn't look like a politically charged argument.

Basically, they're trying to get smoking out of everywhere again. I find this new "study" laughable. The whole thing is just soooo brought out of proportion to every other pollutant out there. I love how their "alarming" study estimates (gotta love that, especially due to most causes being heart disease, which are impossible to estimate, considering most heart disease is caused by poor eating habits, but I guess this study just figured they could LUMP them in and call them accurate)

Even so, these "alarming" studies show that of the 126,000,000 that are exposed to second-hand smoke, (I guess half of the population never goes out to eat. What a farce) roughly 50,000 die of second hand smoking. How they can write this "findings" with any proof is beyond me. But let's use their erroneous numbers.

That means that their "worst case scenario" shows that 1 out of every 2,500 people exposed will die, or .04%. Since when is .02% of our population dieing an epidemic? And you really have to think their "heart disease" people easily had other contributing factors. This just keeps getting more and more r****ded.

Declaring that second-hand smoke causes tens of thousands of premature deaths among nonsmokers every year, the U.S. surgeon general called Tuesday for completely smoke-free workplaces.

The report, expected to bolster Houston Mayor Bill White's goal of a comprehensive smoking ban, detailed "indisputable" evidence that second-hand smoke's harmful effects are greater than previously thought. It said no one should be forced to inhale it.

"I am here to say the debate is over," the surgeon general, Dr. Richard Carmona, said at a televised news conference. "Second-hand smoke is not a mere annoyance. It is a serious health hazard that can lead to disease and premature death in children and nonsmoking adults."

The report was hailed by public health officials who said it will bolster efforts to ban smoking everywhere from restaurants to bars to bowling alleys. Fourteen states, Washington, D.C., and more than 2,200 municipalities have passed smoke-free laws.

Houston took a step in that direction last year — banning smoking in all indoor dining areas of restaurants — and White said Tuesday he has asked Councilwoman Carol Alvarado, chairwoman of the public health committee, to lead efforts to develop an ordinance that would extend the ban to all workplaces.

Alvarado said she hopes to bring forth a proposal early this fall.

The report is the first on the topic by the surgeon general's office in 20 years. It is not a new study but a compilation of the best new research on second-hand smoke. It goes well beyond the 1986 report, which declared second-hand smoke a cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers.

Carmona's report points to evidence linking second-hand smoke to heart disease and other cancers, including breast cancer, brain tumors, childhood cancer and sinus cancer.

The report said it is impossible to protect nonsmokers using only designated smoking areas. There is no risk-free level of exposure to drifting smoke, it said.

The report's appeal for complete smoke-free zones was criticized by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., which said the danger is overblown.

"Bottom line, we believe adults should be able to patronize establishments that permit smoking if they choose to do so," company spokesman David Howard told the Associated Press.

The Chronicle's attempts to contact the Texas Restaurant Association were unsuccessful.

Opponents of smoking bans include some businesses — especially those with bars — that argue smoking customers will simply go elsewhere. But the surgeon general's report disputed that, citing a list of studies showing comprehensive bans don't hurt the hospitality industry.


'Houston's been dragging'
The report also paid particular attention to the plight of children — 1 in 5 — whose parents smoke at home. Such children are at increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome, acute respiratory infections, ear problems and more severe asthma.

"The report speaks for itself as a major summary of the science," said Dr. Phil Huang, medical director for chronic disease prevention for the Texas Department of State Health Services. "It should help us provide education and information to employers and individuals."

The state of Texas and its counties do not have the authority to pass smoking bans. In Texas, 240 municipalities have adopted some sort of anti-smoking ordinance. El Paso, Austin, Laredo and Beaumont have banned smoking in all public buildings, from municipal buildings to bars.

That is White's goal for Houston, but last year he supported a compromise policy that allows smoking in bar areas within restaurants, outdoor dining areas and freestanding bars.

Spokesman Frank Michel said the mayor's office plans to be "very aggressive" in moving toward a comprehensive ban.

The report says that efforts to minimize the effect of second-hand smoke by using ventilation systems to remove smoke from a shared space are ineffective.

Alvarado said she plans summer hearings at which health experts and sufferers of second-hand smoke will testify. A report on the economic impact of smoking bans on Houston businesses also will precede her proposal.

"This is a big step for Houston and the surgeon general's report should help endorse our push for a complete ban," Alvarado said. "Houston's been dragging in that regard. We need to act more than incrementally."


An 'alarming' hazard
The current ordinance, adopted in March 2005, called for an extension of the ban to be reconsidered in 18 months, or September 2006.

Most of Houston's surrounding municipalities also have partial bans.

Earlier this year, the Galveston City Council voted down a proposal to ban smoking in bars and restaurant bars. The proposal was opposed by bar owners and restaurant and hotel leaders.

The report said that while smoke-free laws and policies across the country have helped, second-hand smoke remains an "alarming" public health hazard to the 126 million nonsmokers exposed to it. Carmona called the phenomenon "involuntary smoking."

It cites a previous study that estimates second-hand smoke accounts for 3,400 deaths of nonsmokers by lung cancer, 46,000 from heart disease and 430 from SIDS.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4008151.html