Tweet If you’ve ever wondered how much cigarette smoke your kids are really exposed to – you’re not alone. A new study led by the Center for Child and Adolescent Health has found that a majority of parents would support testing children for tobacco smoke exposure as part of their primary care visit. Researchers surveyed nearly 500 parents – both smoking and non-smoking – and asked them how they felt about the idea of testing children fo ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet By a 7 to 2 vote, the Oklahoma City Council stated its intent to exempt Remington Park from future stricter tobacco ordinances that could be possible if a bill currently before the state legislature passes. Oklahoma City Council members passed a resolution Tuesday stating their willingness to exempt Remington Park from future stricter tobacco ordinances. The resolution passed 7 to 2. Ward 3 Councilman Larry McAtee and Ward 8 Councilman Pat ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet In 1993, the EPA published a report claiming that secondhand smoke (SHS — also sometimes known as environmental tobacco smoke or ETS) causes three thousand deaths from lung cancer every year. Anyone doubting this result has been subject to attack and depicted as a toady of the tobacco lobby. The attacks have been led by a smear blog called DeSmogBlog, financed by the Canadian PR firm of James Hoggan, and have been taken up with grea ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet Tom Brokaw, former NBC News anchor and advocate of tolerance and cross-cultural appreciation, lowers the boom on President Obama and Speaker-to-be John Boehner: In Washington and across the country there’s understandably a great deal of speculation on whether President Obama and the incoming speaker of the House, John Boehner, can work together and on what issues. Here’s a suggestion on where to start. Stop. Stop smoking. Yeah, th ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet Dr Tony Jewell, Wales’ chief medical officer, explains why children must be protected from second-hand tobacco smoke, particularly in cars LAST month I recommended that smoking in cars carrying children should be banned. I also said parents should be encouraged to protect their children from second-hand smoke by making their homes smoke-free. Many people disagreed, but it was an important debate to open. Smoking continues to cause around ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet A group of Yankton’s health care professionals gathered Tuesday to voice their support of a law that, if passed, would ban smoking from all restaurants, bars and casinos in South Dakota. The gathering took place at the Avera Sacred Heart Hospital Pavilion was part of a kick-off for the Yes on 12 campaign. Referred Law 12 will be on the ballot in the upcoming election. “I’m going to continue in those efforts and support the passage of ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet The study of 494 children showed that those with higher levels of exposure to secondhand smoke from ages 8 to 13 had, by age 13, significantly increased blood vessel wall thickness and functioning problems, both of which are precursors to arterial structural changes and hardening. Greater exposure to tobacco smoke also was associated with higher levels of apolipoprotein B (apoB), a component of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet Concentrations of secondhand tobacco smoke inhaled in restaurants and bars that allow smoking are exceptionally high and hazardous, U.S. researchers found. A report by the Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center found the average particulate level measured in restaurant smoking rooms was beyond the hazardous extreme based on levels established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The levels in bars were higher, the study said. Lead investi ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet Researchers found that of more than 200 6- to 12-year-olds with asthma, those exposed to secondhand smoke tended to have poorer sleep at night and more drowsiness during the day. While the reasons for the connection are uncertain, the researchers say it’s likely that asthmatic children exposed to tobacco smoke have more nighttime breathing problems, which in turn disrupts their sleep. The link between secondhand smoke and sleep proble ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet Childhood exposure to environmental tobacco smoke correlated with increased evidence of emphysema on lung scans of nonsmoking adults, data from a large cohort study showed. Structural and quantitative indices of emphysema differed significantly on CT lung scans of adults with a childhood history of secondhand smoke exposure compared with those with a negative exposure history, Gina S. Lovasi, PhD, of the Mailman School of Public Health of C ... Jump to full article >>