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Study Suggests Smoking Bans Reduce Heart Attacks
A new report released by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) suggests that comprehensive public smoking bans reduce heart attacks associated with secondhand smoke, HealthDay News reports. Based on a review of published and unpublished data and testimony regarding the association between secondhand smoke and heart problems, IOM researchers determined that exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk of coronary heart disease by between 25 percent and 30 percent. Although the researchers note that there is a causal relationship between secondhand-smoke exposure and increased risks of coronary heart disease among both men and women, they assert that current evidence does not allow for a precise number of cases of disease to be attributable to secondhand-smoke exposure. According to the IOM report, two studies showed a reduced risk of a heart attack among nonsmokers that could be attributed to a decrease in secondhand-smoke exposure following the implementation of smoking bans, while nine other studies "provided indirect evidence of an association between secondhand-smoke exposure and heart attacks." In light of the studies' results, as well as data from cellular experiments and experiments in animals, the researchers conclude that "there is sufficient evidence to infer that a low level of exposure to secondhand smoke induces changes in the body related to cardiovascular disease." The analysis also revealed that smoking bans reduced heart attacks by between 6 percent and 47 percent. Acknowledging the broad nature of the statistics, the researchers contend that it is not yet possible to precisely quantify risk reduction, but nevertheless conclude that "smoke-free policies can reduce the risk of heart attack...and significantly reduce the likelihood of other heart problems." Given the prevalence of heart ailments, the researchers conclude that "smoking bans can have a substantial impact on public health" and call for additional research on the effect of public smoking bans and secondhand-smoke exposure on acute coronary events (Reinberg, HealthDay News, 10/15/09; Morgan, Reuters, 10/15/09; IOM release, 10/15/09; IOM brief, 10/15/09).