IOM study touts health benefits of smoking bans

A new report from the Institute of Medicine found that a reduction in heart problems was found in cities fairly quickly after a smoking ban was instituted (Source: “Smoking Bans Reduce Heart Attacks and Disease,” New York Times, Oct. 16, 2009).

The federally funded IOM study also found that exposure to even low or fleeting levels of secondhand smoke could increase the risk of coronary heart disease and heart attacks.

“Even a small amount of exposure to secondhand smoke can increase blood clotting, constrict blood vessels and can cause a heart attack,” said Dr. Neal L. Benowitz, a professor of medicine, psychiatry and biopharmaceutical sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, and a member of the panel.

“Smoking bans need to be put in place as quickly as possible,” Dr. Benowitz added. “The longer we wait, the more disease we are accepting.”