December 23, 2003 – Second-hand smoke is believed to be even more dangerous and harmful to non-smokers than previously believed, US researchers reveal.
They found that even very short exposure to second-hand smoke can quadruple the levels of two carcinogens in non-smokers’ bodies, substances that can only come from second-hand smoke. The link between second-hand smoke and cancer is not unanimous in the scientific community, but this discovery would provide a new indication in this direction.
Scientists at the University of Minnesota have asked 20 volunteers to go to a casino where smoking is allowed. All participants must not have smoked at all for at least two years, nor have they lived or worked with smokers. They were also asked to avoid exposure to second-hand smoke during the days leading up to the study.
The volunteers provided a urine sample before entering the casino, where they spent four hours. A second sample, provided 24 hours later, revealed that the levels of two carcinogens in their bodies, NNK and NNAL, were up to four times higher than normal, even though the casino was supposedly equipped. a sophisticated ventilation system.
Given the magnitude of the impact of such short-term exposure on healthy subjects, researchers are now worried about the fate of non-smokers who have to work in a smoking environment. Their results are published in the current edition of the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention.
In addition, the California Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could soon make second-hand smoke a “toxic air pollutant”, just like exhaust fumes. The EPA has reviewed the scientific literature on the subject and comes to the conclusion that second-hand smoke causes lung cancer and cardiovascular disease, and that it can exacerbate asthma attacks, cause asthma syndrome. sudden infant death syndrome and cause fertility problems in adults.
Jean-Benoit Legault – PasseportSanté.net
From New York Times, Globe and Mail and CTV; December 22 and 23, 2003.