Many offices and public places now ban smoking. Is secondhand smoke really that dangerous?

It certainly is. U.S. Surgeon General and Assistant Secretary for Health David Satcher, M.D., has said that the public health burden caused by secondhand smoke more than justifies public policies creating smoke free workplaces and public areas.

Satcher made that statement after a report on secondhand smoke done by the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) was published in November 1999. The report linked secondhand smoke with lung cancer, heart disease, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), nasal sinus cancer, and many other diseases in adults and children. The Cal/EPA researchers, who reviewed many past studies on secondhand smoke, suggested that medical problems caused by secondhand smoke are a serious public health concern. The report is the most comprehensive study ever done on secondhand smoke.

Secondhand smoke causes between 35,000 and 62,000 heart disease deaths alone each year in the United States, according to the Cal/EPA. Considering the thousands of secondhand smoke-related lung cancers and other diseases diagnosed each year, secondhand smoke is clearly a major cause of death in the United States.

Satcher has called on all Americans to join him in "a renewed effort to complete the creation of a smoke free society."

The Cancer Information Service (CIS) is committed to helping smokers kick the habit. To receive personalized support and suggestions on how to quit, call 1-800-4-CANCER and choose option No. 3. The CIS also provides free materials on the health consequences of smoking and how to quit.

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