Tobacco Smoke and Asthma

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Background information:

• Secondhand smoke is a problem for asthma in two ways:
  
  • It causes asthma in people who would otherwise be healthy
    
  • It worsens the symptoms of people with asthma
    
    
• Secondhand smoke causes asthma
  • Approximately 10-15% of childhood asthma may be attributable to parental smoking
    
  • Children whose parents smoke are 1.5 times more likely to develop asthma
    
  • Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of your baby being wheezy or having breathing difficulties by 50%

Research published and the end of 2003 concluded that secondhand smoke also causes asthma in adults. For people exposed to secondhand smoke at work the risk of developing adult onset asthma is doubled, for people exposed to secondhand smoke at home the risk is increased five fold.

• Secondhand smoke makes asthma worse
  • Secondhand smoke is a major asthma trigger. Exposure reduces lung function and is associated with more frequent attacks
  • Even at low levels of secondhand smoke exposure is associated with asthma symptoms.
    
  • Smoke free homes significantly reduce infant exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke but measures short of a total ban on smoking in the home don't work
    
    
• Smoke free work and public places
  • Are essential to protect people with asthma. The tobacco cartel claims this will reduce takings in pubs and restaurants. Evidence from around the world proves the opposite. A year after New York's smoke free legislation, trade was up 12% and 1,500 new jobs had been created.
    
    
• Eight Million people in the UK suffer from asthma they say:
  • 82% of people with asthma say that other people's smoke worsens their asthma
    
  • 55% of parents of children with asthma avoid smoky restaurants and other smoky places
    
  • 40% of adults with asthma avoid smoky pubs and restaurants
    
  • Secondhand smoke is the second most common asthma trigger in the workplace
    
  • 1 in 5 people with asthma feel excluded from parts of their workplace where people smoke
    
    
• Asthma UK says:
  
  • Secondhand smoke causes asthma in adults and children
    
  • Smoking in public is not a personal liberty. No one has the right to assault a member of the public in pursuit of his/her addiction.
    
  • Secondhand smoke is a known carcinogen yet millions of workers are exposed at work with no protection
    
  • Half measures such as no-smoking parts of restaurants don't work. Sitting in the smoke free half of a bar is like swimming in the chlorine free half of a pool
    
  • Sale of nicotine replacement therapies, which are smoke free and much less harmful to both smokers and non-smokers, is more tightly controlled than cigarettes - a review in long overdue
    
  • Asthma UK endorses the National Clean Air Award and supports it's overarching aim to reduce public and workplace exposure to secondhand smoke

   

Visit their website at www.asthma.org.uk