Second hand smoke and workers health.
What
diseases are known
to be caused by second-hand smoke? (1)
►Heart
disease
►Lung
Cancer
►Nasal
sinus Cancer
►Non-malignant
respiratory disease
What other diseases are
thought to be caused by second-hand
smoke?
►Stroke
►Breast
cancer
►Cervical
cancer
►Miscarriages
How many Canadians are
killed by second hand smoke each year?
(2)
►Over
1000 (and possibly as many as 7800).
Health Canada has not yet
conducted a complete review of second-hand smoke caused mortality.
They current estimate that there are approximately 300 lung cancer deaths
and 700 heart disease deaths due
to smoking each year.
Health Canada prepares
estimates of the number killed by exposure to cigarette smoke, but
has not isolated those who were exposed at home and those exposed
at work.
The most exhaustive study
completed to-date was conducted by the California Environmental
Protection Agency. It estimated that between 4,500 and 7,800
deaths can be attributed to second-hand smoke (most from heart
disease) each year in California. There are roughly the same
number of people living (and smoking) in Canada and California.
What do we know about the
impact of second hand smoke on the health of servers
in bars and restaurants? (3)
►
Non-smoking bar and
restaurant staff may be exposed to as much cigarette smoke as
smokers: their hair shows the same nicotine levels.
►
A 50% increase in lung cancer
risk among food-service workers is in part attributable to
cigarette smoke in the workplace.
Sources:
(1)
National Institutes of
Health. National Cancer Institute. Respiratory Health Effects of
Passive Smoking: Lung Cancer and Other Disorders: The Report of
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Smoking and Tobacco
Control Monograph Number 4. NIH Publication No. 93-3605,
Washington, USA, August, 1993.
National Health and Medical
Research Council. The health effects of passive smoking.
Australia, November, 1997.
Department of Health. Report
of the Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health. The Stationery
Office. London, United Kingdom, March, 1998.
National Institutes of
Health. National Cancer Institute. Health Effects of Exposure to
Environmental Tobacco Smoke: The Report of the California
Environmental Protection Agency. Smoking and Tobacco Control
Monograph Number 10. NIH Publication No. 99-4645, Washington,
USA, August,1999.
World Health Organization.
Tobacco Free Initiative. International Consultation on
Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) and Child Health: Consultation
Report. WHO Technical Document Number WHO/TFI/99.10. 1999.
U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. Public Health Service. National Toxicology
Program. 9th Report on Carcinogens. Washington, USA, 200017
(2)
Makomaski Illing EM,
Kaiserman MJ. Mortality attributable to tobacco use in Canada and
its regions, 1994 and 1996. Chronic Disease in Canada 1999;
20(3).
Margaret de Groh and Howard I Morrison, Environmental tobacco
smoke and deaths from coronary heart disease in Canada. Chronic
Disease in Canada, 2002: 23(1).
(3)
Al-Delaimy
W, Fraser T, Woodward A. Nicotine in hair of bar and
restaurant workers. New Zealand Medical Journal. 2001
114(1127):80-3.
Siegel M. Involuntary smoking in the restaurant workplace.
A review of employee exposure and health effects. JAMA 1993
270(4): 490-3.
