Surgeon General's report heralds turning tide against tobacco, smoking.

The recent report on secondhand smoke from the U.S. Surgeon General has already been the impetus for several new smoking bans and may be the starting point for a national movement, according to smoke-free advocates. " The scientifi c evidence is now indisputable: Secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance. It is a serious health hazard that can lead to disease and premature death in children and nonsmok-ing adults, " then – Surgeon General Richard Carmona, M.D., said at a press briefi ng to release the report in June. The report reviews 20 years of literature since the Surgeon General's last report on the dangers of secondhand smoke and concludes that secondhand smoke is so hazardous that no level of exposure can be considered safe. Antito-bacco advocates say the new report will accelerate an already heavy downpour of state and local government regulations that are banning smoking in workplaces, restaurants, and bars. " It is not surprising that secondhand smoke is so harmful. Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke inhale the same toxins and cancer-causing substances as smokers. … This helps explain why nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke develop some of the same diseases that smokers do, " said Carmona, whose 4-year term expired at the end of July. " Breathing secondhand smoke for even a short time can damage cells and set the cancer process in motion. " According to the report, nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke have as much as a 20% – 30% increased risk of developing lung cancer. Secondhand smoke is responsible for approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths a year, from the fi ndings of 50 epidemiologic studies collated by the Surgeon General's offi ce. The report also concludes that secondhand smoke creates other health hazards such as cardiovascular disease and an increased incidence of respiratory infections, especially in children. However , there was inadequate evidence to determine whether secondhand smoke increases the risk of other forms of cancer , such as breast and cervical cancer. But the evidence of the dangers of secondhand smoke continues to build. At the World Conference on Tobacco OR Health held last month in Washing-ton, investigators presented studies further strengthening the link between occupational exposure to secondhand smoke and an increased risk of developing not only lung cancer but also other common tumors, such as breast cancer. An analysis by Canadian researchers that looked at data from …