Secondhand Smoke

Too Many Montanans Are Still Exposed to Secondhand Tobacco Smoke

People living in apartment buildings or condominiums with neighbors who smoke
Anyone in an outdoor setting where smoking is permitted
American Indians on reservations where no tribal policies exist or where the Clean Indoor Air Act does not apply

New research, new urgency:
New research on secondhand smoke and the heart shows that there are more severe and immediate health effects than we previously thought.
Secondhand tobacco smoke causes reactions in the heart very quickly. In as few as 30 minutes, secondhand smoke exposure can cause heart attacks for people at risk for heart disease.

Dr. Robert Shepard, Medical Director at New West Health Services in Helena, Montana and a well-known champion of Montana’s Clean Indoor Air Act cites over 50 epidemiology studies that demonstrate the effects of secondhand smoke on the human body.

Shepard has identified specific risks to the heart, which are magnified by secondhand smoke. These risks, in turn, increase the risk of heart attacks in non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke.

Non-smokers, when exposed for 30 minutes to secondhand smoke, have platelets which look exactly like a smoker. They are activated and ready to create a clot. The clot is solid, the artery is too small, and the blood cannot flow; causing a heart attack.

Secondhand smoke also kills the cells lining the artery which control the ability of the artery to dilate and thus heightens the risk of spasms increasing the risk of a heart attack.

The message is loud and clear for those who will listen.

There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

And until we reach the tipping point that protects all of us from secondhand smoke, an estimated 175 Montanans who never smoked will die each year from breathing someone else's tobacco smoke.