21 More Anti-Smoking Groups Make Fallacious Claims About Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke

Here they are:

Harford County (Maryland) Cancer & Tobacco Community Coalition: "30 minutes and your coronary arteries show the same damage as a smoker."

University of Kentucky Tobacco Policy Research Program: "20 minutes of exposure causes excess blood clotting, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. 30 minutes of exposure increases the build up of fat deposits in blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. 2 hours of exposure increases the chance of irregular heart beat that can be fatal or trigger a heart attack."

Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan: "30 minutes of secondhand smoke compromises a nonsmoker's coronary arteries to the same extent as in smokers."

Blue Cross of Northeast Pennsylvania: "The effects of the secondhand smoke can be seen within five minutes of inhaling the chemicals from tobacco. ... Exposure to secondhand smoke can cause changes in cholesterol chemistry in 20 minutes, and in two hours changes occur in the heart'’s rate of contraction. All of these changes can cause an increased risk for a heart attack or long-term development of atherosclerosis."

Leeds, Grenville, and Lanark Health Unit: "within 30 minutes, blood platelets are activated, which makes the blood 'stickier' and damages artery linings which can lead to a heart attack."

City of Laredo (testimony before City Council): "After 120 minutes of breathing secondhand smoke, the risk of an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) that can itself be fatal or trigger a heart attack increases."

American Heart Association, Indianapolis Metropolitan Region: "Two hours of exposure to secondhand smoke can cause irregular heartbeats, which can lead to an arrhythmia or a heart attack."

County Durham and Darlington National Health Service (UK): "Within 20 minutes, passive smoking activates platelets causing them to stick together forming blood clots."

Heart Foundation South Africa: "Only 30 minutes of exposure can damage a non-smoker'’s heart and increase the risk of heart disease by 30%."

American Cancer Society: "30 minutes of breathing secondhand smoke makes blood platelets get as activated as in habitual pack-a-day smokers. These activated platelets damage the lining of arteries, which leads to heart disease. If they form a blood clot that lodges in a coronary artery, we call that a heart attack. If it lodges in the brain, we call it a stroke."

New Jersey GASP: "Healthy nonsmokers who enter a smoke-filled room show almost immediate changes in their blood, changes that can result in heart disease and stroke."

Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Vermont (cached - no longer on the web page): "Just 30 minutes of exposure to second-hand smoke changes blood chemistry and increases the risk of heart disease in non-smokers."

University of Missouri - St. Louis Wellness Resource Center: "Even 30 minutes of exposure to secondhand smoke can cause heart damage similar to that of an everyday smoker."

American Heart Association, Heritage Affiliate: "Even 30 minutes of exposure to secondhand smoke reduces blood circulation and increases your risk for a heart attack."

Swindon Primary Care Trust (UK): "Just 30 minutes in a smoky room can thicken the blood and reduce the oxygen needed for red-blooded passion."

SmokeLess States: "After only 30 minutes, secondhand smoke starts to affect blood vessels in ways that can lead to heart disease and stroke."

Smoke Free Berkshire: "Many people believe the negative health effects of secondhand smoke are only caused over a long period of time but did you know that being in a smoke-filled room for only 30 minutes is enough to thicken the blood and make it '‘sticky'’ which increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes."

Tobacco Control Strategy Planning Guide: "30 minutes of breathing secondhand smoke makes blood platelets get as activated as in habitual pack-a-day smokers. These activated platelets damage the lining of arteries, which leads to heart disease."

Canadian Lung Association: "Just 30 minutes' exposure to second-hand smoke hardens your arteries."

Web MD: "As little as 30 minutes of secondhand smoke can lead to hardening of the arteries in nonsmokers."

SmokeFreeColorado: "Only 30 minutes of exposure to secondhand smoke reduces blood flow to the heart, significantly increasing a nonsmoker's chances of heart attack and stroke."

The Rest of the Story

By my count, this now brings to at least 65 the number of anti-smoking and health groups that are making or have made completely fallacious scientific claims about the acute cardiovascular effects of secondhand smoke exposure.

The penetration of these fallacious claims is impressive and the extent to which these claims seem to have been (and are currently being) disseminated to the media, the public, and policy makers is immense.

I think this is truly a crisis for the anti-smoking movement. It is just too large a problem to ignore. Our credibility as a movement is truly at stake.