Hours, even minutes count with secondhand smoke exposure

The body just doesn’t like smoking, no matter who’s doing it. That’s the message of a recent study published in the May edition of the American Heart Association’s Circulation magazine.

While many view secondhand smoke as little more than a social annoyance, researchers say that the effects of passive smoke are numerous and interact with each other, increasing the risk of heart disease.

Evidence about the dangers of secondhand smoke has been growing since the mid-1980s, says St. John’s oncologist Thomas Froehlich, M.D.

“Children of smokers have a much higher rate of infections and asthma and are usually saddled with more respiratory illnesses, such as bronchitis, well into adulthood,” Froehlich says. “The dangers of secondhand smoke to adults are less-understood, but we know that spouses of smokers have at least double the incidence of lung cancer compared to spouses of nonsmokers.”

He added that secondhand smoke increases the risk of heart disease by about 30 percent, accounting for at least 35,000 deaths annually in the United States.

“In the last few years, I have treated a number of nonsmokers with lung cancer
who are only in their 30s and 40s. Most of them grew up breathing their parents'      Thomas Froehlich, secondhand smoke,” Froehlich says. “Lung cancer used to be a disease of             M.D.
elderly people who smoked all of their lives. Not anymore.”

Secondhand smoke may register on the heart in a short time, the AHA study shows.
For instance, one study exposed 12 men to six hours of secondhand smoke – about what someone might get from an evening in a smoky bar. For the next 24 hours, the men's levels of HDL "good" cholesterol were significantly lower than before the experiment.

In another study, healthy men breathed secondhand smoke from 15 cigarettes for an hour in an unventilated room. During that hour, the men had a significant increase in aortic arterial stiffness – an early marker of blood vessel wall abnormalities that increases heart disease risk.

“There are also people with asthma or other respiratory illnesses who are very sensitive to small amounts of cigarette smoke and can get very ill from exposure to it,” Froehlich says. “It’s not a smoker’s right to infringe on the health and well-being of others.”

How St. John’s Can Help

St. John's is active in efforts to help people quit using tobacco and educate the community about the dangers of secondhand smoke. St. John's physicians and other leaders regularly work with statewide groups and health care provider coalitions to increase tobacco taxes, lessen incidence of smoking overall and provide care for those who have smoking-related illnesses.

St. John’s Road to Freedom tobacco cessation program offers a comprehensive approach to help tobacco users quit. The program includes consultations with tobacco-cessation counselors, hot stone massages, essential oil treatments, auriculotherapy, and if indicated, may also include medication and nicotine replacement therapy such as patches or gum.

“What I liked most about Road to Freedom was the fact that they offer you so many tools to help you quit,” says Pat Toney, a data control analyst for Mercy Health Plans and single mom of two teenagers. “The staff was wonderful, and the whole program seemed like a great reward system for not smoking.”

The program’s coordinator, Terri Driver, says it usually takes about seven to 10 tries for most people to become tobacco-free.
“Smoking, as with any habit, has to be acknowledged as a habit before you can stop doing it,” Driver says. “It takes at least 30 days to change a habit and, with smoking, part of breaking that habit is keeping your hands busy.”

Call the Road to Freedom program at 417-820-3617 (toll free 800-909-8326). St. John’s also offers a special program called Smoke-Free Babies to help pregnant woman stop smoking. Smoke-Free Babies can also be reached at 417-820-3617 (toll free 800-909-8326).

Tips for avoiding secondhand smoke

• Ask smokers not to smoke around you.
• Do not allow smokers to smoke around your children.
• Post “Thank You for Not Smoking” signs in your home, workplace and car.
• Ask visitors not to smoke in your home.
• Avoid public places where people are smoking.
• If smoking is allowed where you work, ask your employer to make your workplace smoke-free.
• If you live with smokers, set up a place outside where they can smoke. Encourage them to get help quitting.
   

Cardiovascular effects of secondhand smoke exposure

• Increased blood clotting ability;
• Increased blood vessel wall abnormalities;
• Higher risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries);
• Lower levels of HDL "good" cholesterol (even in children);
• More buildup of LDL "bad" cholesterol in artery walls;
• Higher blood levels of markers of inflammation that are linked to heart disease and blood vessel wall plaque buildup;
• Increased source of cell-damaging free radicals;
• Lower levels of antioxidants, which fight free radicals.

Source: Circulation magazine