Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, January 8, 1993 TAG: 9301080168
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From The Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
SECONDARY SMOKING PERIL CITED
The government on Thursday officially classified secondhand tobacco smoke among the most serious cancer threats and said it causes lung ailments in hundreds of thousands of non-smokers each year.Infants especially are at risk, with as many as 300,000 a year suffering bronchitis, pneumonia and other infections related to secondhand smoke, the Environmental Protection Agency reported.
"The risks associated with environmental tobacco smoke are at least an order of magnitude greater than they are for virtually any chemical or risk that EPA regulates," said EPA Administrator William Reilly.
The agency estimated secondhand smoke caused 3,000 cases of cancer each year in non-smokers.
The long-awaited announcement prompted health groups to predict lawsuits and set businesses to work on changes in their workplace smoking policies.
"I think there will be a flood of legal cases," said John Banzhaf, executive director of Action on Smoking and Health.
The EPA final report elevated tobacco smoke to its most serious category of cancer-causing agents, joining chemicals like radon, arsenic and benzene as class A carcinogens. The report said tobacco smoke was far more dangerous than the others.
The agency has no power to regulate indoor air pollution. But Reilly said the report could persuade the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to take action. OSHA has said that it was awaiting completion of the EPA report before acting.
A tobacco industry spokeswoman predicted the report would have little effect. "Most places already have smoking and non-smoking sections," said Brennan Dawson of the Tobacco Institute. "My industry doesn't have a problem with non-smoking areas."
According to the report:
Secondhand smoke increases the frequency and severity of symptoms in 200,000 to 1 million children with asthma, and it increases the risk of new cases of asthma.
It also causes fluid buildup in the middle ear, a condition that can lead to ear infections.
"To me, the meaning of this report is simple and clear," said Secretary Louis Sullivan of the Health and Human Services Department. "It is time for Americans who smoke to make the choice to stop." His department announced a multimedia campaign to spread the word about the dangers of secondhand smoke and urge non-smokers to stop being passive victims.