Smoke-free Air Laws reduce asthma and heart attacks. There is no risk free level of secondhand smoke exposure.

Indiana’s smoke-free air law will help protect thousands of Hoosiers from secondhand smoke. Why is this important? Well, consider these facts:

Secondhand smoke kills 49,000 Americans every year and is responsible for 3,000 lung cancer deaths of U.S. non-smokers annually, making it the third leading cause of preventable death.

The latest Surgeon General’s Report on Tobacco Smoke says secondhand smoke is lethal for everyone. According to this report, exposure to tobacco smoke causes immediate damage to your body and can trigger a deadly heart or asthma attack, or damage your DNA which can lead to cancer.

In Indiana alone, secondhand smoke kills 1,100 Hoosiers every year and is responsible for over 900 low birth weight babies born annually in our state.

• Secondhand Smoke - Tobacco Free Colleges and Universities - pdf

• Secondhand Smoke - Smoke-Free multi-Unit Housing - pdf

Secondhand Smoke Does Damage To Your Family.

A recent study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology proved even 30 minutes of exposure to average levels of secondhand smoke is enough to injure blood vessels in young, healthy non-smokers. In addition, secondhand smoke hinders the body’s natural ability to repair the injured blood vessels. The chemicals in secondhand smoke have strong and persistent consequences on the body’s vascular system.

Many families and children remain at high risk for tobacco use and suffer disproportionately from tobacco-related illness and death. Infants and children who are exposed to secondhand smoke in their home have dramatically higher levels of respiratory tract infections and slower lung development.

E-Cigarettes are Not Safe.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have reported that there is conclusive evidence that e-cigarette use indoors increases airborne concentrations of nicotine and particulate matter from secondhand aerosol. The study's conclusions support the need for public education of health risks from secondhand e-cigarette emissions and protections for non-users, particularly children, as well as laws protecting everyone from secondhand e-cigarette emissions.