Second-hand smoke--a license to kill due to expire

Abstract

Keywords: atherosclerosis; cardiovascular disease;epidemiology; passive smoking; second-hand smoke;smokingJames Bond: What do you expect from me, to talk?A. Goldfinger: No Mr Bond, I expect you to die!‘Goldfinger’ movieThere is growing evidence that second-hand smoke isnot only harmful, but also in all probability, fatal tothose exposed to it [1–3]. Most smokers object to thecharge that they are endangering others, and manywould be offended by the notion that they, like thecharacter Auric Goldfinger, have a conscious intentionto kill others. But tell that to those who must inhaletheir smoke and you will hear many respond, ‘What doyou expect from us, to breathe your poison?’.By now, most people in the non-medical communityare aware of the debate concerning second-hand smokefrom tobacco, or have at least heard some of thearguments both pros and cons. Phrases like ‘smokers’rights’ and ‘non-smokers’ protections’ often cloud thediscussion, as one side or the other gets hung up on thecivil rights aspects of it all. In addition, the tobaccoindustry has attempted to challenge the focus anddialogue related to the epidemiological evidence onpassive smoking [4]. The result of this uproar has beenendless bickering with no resolution of the case.Therefore, in order to clear the air of all emotion, weneed only to look purely and calmly at the scientificresearch concerning second-hand smoke. The evidence,which already speaks for itself, overwhelminglyfavours smoke-free policies, in both public premisesand private workplaces.