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The serious consequences of breathing second hand
smoke
The following papers by Woodward and Laugesen were
quoted frequently in the run-up to the 2003 legislation:
MORBIDITY: How much
illness does second hand smoke in New
Zealand cause?
http://www.ndp.govt.nz/tobacco/MorbidityAttributabletoSecondHandCigaretteSmoke.pdf
(15,000
episodes of childhood asthma, nearly 2,000 hospital admissions annually,
nearly 30,000 visits to general practitoners)
MORTALIY: How many deaths does second hand smoke
in New Zealand
cause?
In Tobacco Control SHSdeaths.pdf
(350 deaths a year, 250 a year in future)
Annual estimated deaths from
second-hand smoke 2003
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Home exposures and work exposures before 2004 ban.
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Home and work exposure, of men, women and infants
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Since December 2004 when smoking was banned indoors in all workplaces and
hospitality venues, almost all remaining second hand smoke exposure is
due to exposure at home.
Some 250 deaths a year are due to home exposure. These will
continue unless smokers take their smoking outside. Many more will suffer survivable but
disabling heart attacks and strokes.
homes.htm
Living in a smoky home increases death risk by 17%
(Evidence from the NZ Census, comparing answers to the
Census question on smoking, linked with subsequent cause of death)
Adults who
had never smoked and who lived with smokers in
the period 1996-9 had a 17% higher mortality (risk of dying) than never smokers
living in a smoke-free household, when followed up for
four years. (This was after allowing for many socioeconomic and other factors).
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Hill S, Blakely T, Kawachi I, Woodward A. at the Wellington
School of Medicine:
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/328/7446/988/TBL1
In the 1990s when
smokers were not told to smoke outside, this increased risk from living
with a smoker is mostly due to
indoor cigarette smoke.
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