Environmental tobacco smoke hazards and benefits of work-site nonsmoking programs

Details

• Personal Author:
  Benowitz NL ; Leistikow B
• Description:
  This brief review discussed several aspects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) which were of importance to workers. Nonsmokers with exposure to ETS were found to absorb a dose of nicotine (54115) equivalent to actively smoking up to a third of a cigarette per day. When estimated for a career length, a flight attendant working international flights with permitted smoking was found to absorb the equivalent of 1,000 to 2,000 cigarettes over the course of her entire career. Efforts to reduce the adverse effects of occupational exposure to ETS were listed, including smoke free workplaces and smoking cessation services. The health hazards of ETS exposure among children included increased rates of respiratory tract illness, in addition to an increased prevalence of wheezing, middle ear effusions, and airway hyperresponsiveness. Most studies associate an increased risk of lung cancer with exposure to ETS. Studies have also focused on an association between ETS exposure and an increased risk of myocardial infarction in nonsmokers with spouses who smoke. ETS has been associated with a 30% increased risk of coronary heart disease. Substantial reductions in pulmonary function have been reported in adult nonsmokers with exposure to ETS at home, at work, or both. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Environmental Exposure Hazardous Substances Lung Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Smoke Smokers Tobacco Products

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• Keywords:
  Cigarette-smoking Environmental-exposure Health-hazards Lung-function Occupational-exposure Office-workers Respiratory-system-disorders Tobacco-smoke
• ISSN:
  0093-0415
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  160
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00227243
• Citation:
  West J Med 1994 Jun; 160(6):562-563
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1994
• Performing Organization:
  University of California - Davis
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19900930
• Source Full Name:
  Western Journal of Medicine
• End Date:
  20020929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:50dff8895e34fc6a8f87155793ac52fb371a1ac4d6d2f706476cd08adc7074ffbb249e8c10bbd949702e30540f00222d9c84596a97d4bf1f49367b37c53d0fb4
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/204616/cdc_204616_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 399.78 KB ]