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Greek
researchers have concluded that non-smokers run a significant
risk of developing heart problems from breathing second-hand
smoke.
As reported
in the journal BioMed Central Public Health, researchers at
the University of Athens surveyed 2,000 non-smoking patients
who were split into two groups. The first group included people
who had shown up at hospitals suffering from a heart attack
or acute angina. Those in the second group had no cardiovascular
problems, but were being treated as outpatients for routine
examinations or minor surgery.
Researchers
asked participants whether they were currently exposed to
cigarette smoke more than 30 minutes a day and how many years
they had been exposed as an adult to second-hand smoke. The
researchers analyzed the odds of developing heart disease
for non-smokers who were exposed to cigarette smoke, while
excluding the effects of other factors.
Even people
who were exposed to cigarette smoke fewer than three times
a week for more than 30 minutes on each occasion were found
to have a 26 percent increased risk of developing acute heart
disorders.
"The
only safe way to protect non-smokers from exposure to cigarette
smoke is to eliminate this health hazard from public places
through legislation," concluded the researchers.
Source:
Heart
Disease Week of June 30, 2002
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