Secondhand Smoke

Involuntary Harm

There is no such thing as a safe amount of secondhand smoke. Breathing in other people’s exhaust from a burning cigarette or the exhale of a smoker results in exposure to as many as 50 different cancer-causing substances and as many as 250 toxic chemicals, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Secondhand smoke can lead to health problems ranging from lung cancer to heart disease. The very young and old, along with those already suffering from heart or lung problems, are especially at risk when involuntarily breathing in the smoke of another’s pipe, cigar or cigarette. An estimated 3,000 adults in the US die each year from lung cancer caused by secondhand smoke.

The US Surgeon General, in a report on nonsmokers six years ago, referred to secondhand smoke as involuntary to underscore the fact that nonsmokers are often forced to breathe the fumes from tobacco smokers.  

The Surgeon General also points out that secondhand smoke not only contains many of the same chemicals inhaled by smokers, but because secondhand smoke is breathed at lower temperatures, it contains higher concentrations of many of the toxins found in primary cigarette smoke. She most recently reported that secondhand smoke may increase the risk of emphysema.   

A 17-year study recently published in the journal of the American College of Chest Physicians supports the Surgeon General’s heightened concern for secondhand smoke and also more directly connects it with emphysema and stroke. The study, conducted in China — with the single-largest population of smokers — looked at both workplace and home exposure to secondhand smoke.

More than 900 nonsmokers were part of the study, of which 53 percent were exposed to secondhand smoke at home and 44 percent at work.  Through the years, 249 nonsmokers in the study died, with the risks of death from heart disease, emphysema and lung cancer nearly three times the norm. 

Zombie Apocalypse — Be Prepared?

An emergency preparedness campaign by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) clashed with a dose of zombie-like crimes in recent weeks, prompting the CDC to say it knows of no reason for the public to be alarmed that flesh-eating reanimates are on the prowl.

 The CDC has been marketing a disaster preparedness effort dubbed “Zombie Apocalypse,” complete with a 32-page “Preparedness 101: Zombie Pandemic” booklet.  The CDC’s novella tells the story of a spreading disease that creates zombies in an ordinary community. The booklet includes a checklist so readers can get their family, workplace, or school ready before a real disaster strikes.

When a couple of recent crimes occurred in Florida and Maryland — where the face of one victim and the brain and heart of another were eaten by their attackers — the CDC issued a statement denying the existence of any virus or other known cause for such zombie-like behavior.

Instead, the CDC’s Office of Public Health and Preparedness Response wants us to know, “If you are generally well equipped to deal with a zombie apocalypse you will be prepared for a hurricane, pandemic, earthquake, or terrorist attack,” according to its director, Dr. Ali Khan.

As for the recent suspiciously undead attacks, of which there seems to have been copycat versions too, police officials working those crimes say they believe the zombie behavior most likely stems from halucinogenics, which in and of themselves pose their own health risks.  

Surgical Masks Not Used Enough

Surgical Masks and Personal Air-Powered Respirators

Health care workers failed to adequately use surgical masks and respirators during the early phases of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, according to a published scientific report.

The inadequate use of masks or respirators put health care workers at risk of H1N1 infection during the earliest stages of the 2009 outbreak in the U.S., as reported in the journal of the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA).

The study, led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tracked 63 Southern California health care workers at two hospitals and one outpatient center who had contact with six of the first eight laboratory-confirmed 2009 H1N1 cases in the U.S.  This occurred before the health care community realized the threat posed by the spread of H1N1.

Of the 63 workers, 43 said they never used a surgical mask or personal respirator when around patients. And nine became infected with the 2009 H1N1 virus. Another 20 reported using a surgical mask or respirator at least once and none of those workers were infected. 

Surgical mask and respirator use was limited, researchers reported, with less than one-fifth routinely using them around patients. And compliance was even lower for outpatient staff, which comprised the majority of those contracting the virus.

“The findings highlight the challenge of getting health care personnel to routinely wear Personal Protective Equipment,” Jenifer Jaeger, MD, MPH, Associate Pediatrician, Massachusetts General Hospital, said. “The study also suggests that greater attention to infection control and preparedness, particularly among outpatient workers, is needed.”

Those participating in the study on behalf of the CDC included:

Dr. Jaeger, Minal Patel, Nila Dharan, Kathy Hancock, Elissa Meites, Christine Mattson, Matt Gladden, David Sugerman, Saumil Doshi, Dianna Blau, Kathleen Harriman, Melissa Whaley, Hong Sun, Michele Ginsberg, Annie S. Kao, Paula Kriner, Stephen Lindstrom, Seema Jain, Jacqueline Katz, Lyn Finelli, Sonja J. Olsen, and Alexander J. Kallen. The full report, 2009 Pandemic Influenza A/H1N1 Virus Transmission Among Healthcare Personnel — Southern California, 2009, was published in SHEA’s journal of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology,  32:12.