|
6.1.E. - Page 18
<br />formaldehyde, cyanide, carbon monoxide, ammonia, and highly addictive nicotine, as well as more
<br />than 50 carcinogens. Since 1967, exposure to SHS has killed approximately 2.5 million nonsmokers of
<br />all ages in the United States. 13
<br />In 2010, the U.S. Surgeon General confirmed that even occasional exposure to secondhand smoke is
<br />harmful, and that low levels of secondhand tobacco smoke lead to impairment of the lining of the
<br />blood vessels, which, in turn, can lead to heart attacks and stroke. 14
<br />According to the American Lung Association:
<br />Secondhand smoke causes approximately 7,330 deaths from lung cancer and 33,950
<br />deaths from heart disease each year... Secondhand smoke is especially harmful to young
<br />children. Secondhand smoke is responsible for between 150,000 and 300,000 lower
<br />respiratory tract infections in infants and children under 18 months of age, resulting in
<br />between 7,500 and 15,000 hospitalizations each year. It also causes 430 sudden infant
<br />death syndrome (SIDS) deaths in the U.S. annually. 15
<br />Marijuana smoke, another source of secondhand smoke, is also toxic. It contains twice as much tar and
<br />ammonia, eight times as much hydrogen cyanide, and many of the same chemicals and carcinogens as
<br />tobacco smoke. Studies have shown that exposure to secondhand marijuana smoke impairs blood
<br />vessel function temporarily. Moreover, recovery from impairment caused by marijuana takes longer
<br />than from tobacco smoke, and repeated exposure to secondhand marijuana smoke can lead to long-
<br />term blood vessel impairment. 16
<br />According to the American Nonsmoker's Rights Foundation:
<br />Smoke is smoke. Both tobacco and marijuana smoke impair blood vessel function
<br />similarly. People should avoid both, and governments who are protecting people against
<br />secondhand smoke exposure should include marijuana in those rules. 17
<br />Approximately one in four nonsmoking Americans is subjected to secondhand smoke, including more
<br />than one in three who live in rental housing. Exposure to SHS occurs primarily at home, especially for
<br />children. An estimated 15 million children ages three to eleven are exposed to SHS.18
<br />13 The Health Consequences of Smoking 50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD. 2014.
<br />U.S. Public Health Service, Surgeon General website, accessed June 7, 2018.
<br />https://www.surgeon enncral.gov/library/reports/50-years-of-process/exec-sumLnM.pdf .
<br />14 "Fact Sheet: How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease," A Report of the Surgeon General. Centers for Disease Control and
<br />Prevention website, accessed June 7, 2018. < haps://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/s /rg 2010/pdfs/key-findings.pdfl
<br />15,,Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke," American Lung Association website, accessed June 7, 2018.
<br />http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/smoking-facts/health-effects-o f-secondhand-smoke.html
<br />16 ,Marijuana and Tobacco Use, Marijuana: The Basics," California Department of Public Health website, accessed June 7,
<br />2018.
<br />https://www.cdph.ca. ovagrams/CCDPHP/DCDIC/CTCB/CDPH%2ODocument%2OLibrary/ResearchandEvaluation/Fa
<br />ctsandFi gore s/MJAndTobaccoUseFac%20 Sheet -CDP H-CTCP -5-2017.pdf
<br />17 Matthew Springer, cardiovascular researcher and Associate Professor of Medicine, University of California, San
<br />Francisco. "Secondhand Marijuana Smoke: Fact Sheet," American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation website, accessed June
<br />7, 2018. https://no-smoke.orglsecondhand-marijuana-smoke-fact-sheet/
<br />2017-2018 San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury 4
<br />
|