Passive smoking greatly increases cardiac risk

It has long been known that passive tobacco smoke increases one's risk of developing lung cancer. Indeed, because most cigarettes have filters, some scientists think that sidestream smoke is more harmful than the smoke inhaled by the actual smoker.



Now, recent studies suggest that passive tobacco smoke causes coronary artery disease far mort often than it causes cancer. A recent analysis combining the results of 18 studies involving more than half a million subjects suggests that exposure passive tobacco smoke increases one's risk of coronary artery disease by 25%.



And while passive tobacco smoke causes an estimated 3000 deaths a year from lung cancer, the American Heart Association now believes that passive smoke causes as many as 40,000 cardiac related deaths per year.

Look for even more aggressive efforts to ban smoking anywhere near public places.