EAST REGION
CONTEST 1
vs.
Action on Smoking and Health (Washington, DC)
According to the United States Surgeon General's Office: "Even brief exposure to secondhand smoke has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and increases risk for heart disease and lung cancer."
According to Action on Smoking and Health: "Even for people without such respiratory conditions, breathing drifting tobacco smoke for even brief periods can be deadly. For example, the Centers for Disease Controls [CDC] has warned that breathing drifting tobacco smoke for as little as 30 minutes (less than the time one might be exposed outdoors on a beach, sitting on a park bench, listening to a concert in a park, etc.) can raise a nonsmoker'’s risk of suffering a fatal heart attack to that of a smoker."
The Winner: Action on Smoking and Health
While the Surgeon General has the audacity to claim that brief exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk for heart disease, Action on Smoking and Health has the bold audacity to actually quantify that increased risk, claiming that it brings the risk of a fatal heart attack up to the same level as that of an active smoker.
CONTEST 2
vs.
St. Louis University Tobacco Prevention Center (St. Louis, MO)
According to Smoke Free Gwinnett: "Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke for just 30 minutes experience hardening of the arteries."
According to the St. Louis University Tobacco Prevention Center: "Arsenic, benzene, carbon monoxide, Plutonium 210 and a host of other poisons are in secondhand smoke."
The Winner: St. Louis University Tobacco Prevention Center
It's hard to compete with plutonium in secondhand smoke. This one was a blow-out victory.
East Regional Final:
Action on Smoking and Health vs. St. Louis University Tobacco Prevention Center
The Winner: St. Louis University Tobacco Prevention Center
SOUTH REGION
CONTEST 1
vs.
Louisiana Public Health Institute (New Orleans, LA)
According to the American Cancer Society: "Immediate effects of secondhand smoke include cardiovascular problems such as damage to cell walls in the circulatory system, thickening of the blood and arteries, and arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) or heart disease, increasing the chance of heart attack or stroke."
According to the Louisiana Public Health Institute: "Comparing the effects of active smoking and secondhand smoke, researchers found that chronic exposure to secondhand smoke is about 80% as harmful as smoking a pack of cigarettes per day."
The Winner: American Cancer Society
Although the Louisiana Public Health Institute put up a good fight, the claim that secondhand smoke can immediately cause hardening of the arteries is just too hard to beat.
CONTEST 2
vs.
Audubon Area Community Services, Inc. (Owensboro, KY)
According to the Coalition for a Healthy and Responsible Tennessee: "The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that just 30 minutes of exposure to secondhand smoke changes blood chemistry and increases the risk of heart disease in non-smokers."
According to Audubon Area Community Services, Inc.: "As little as 30 minutes of secondhand smoke can lead to hardening of the arteries in nonsmokers, Japanese researchers reported at an American Heart Association (AHA) meeting in November."
The Winner: Audubon Area Community Services, Inc.
Thirty minutes of tobacco smoke causing hardening of the arteries easily beats the same 30 minutes merely increasing the risk of developing hardening of the arteries.
South Regional Final:
American Cancer Society vs. Audubon Area Community Services, Inc.
The Winner: American Cancer Society
MIDWEST REGION
CONTEST 1
vs.
Indiana University (Bloomington, IN)
According to Smokefree Air for Everyone: "After 20 minutes, blood platelets look like a pack-a-day smoker's, making your blood "sticky" and contributing to stroke causing blood clots."
According to Indiana University: "Exposure to second-hand smoke for just 30 minutes can rapidly increase a person's risk for heart attack, even if they have no risk factors. The smoke, which contains carbon monoxide, causes blood vessels to constrict and reduces the amount of oxygen that can be transported in the blood."
The Winner: Smokefree Air for Everyone
A close contest, but 20 minutes of exposure causing a stroke just beats out 30 minutes causing a heart attack.
CONTEST 2
vs.
Clean Air For Everyone (C.A.F.E.) Iowa (Iowa City, IA)
According to the Central Iowa Tobacco-free Partnership: "Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke for just 30 minutes experience hardening of the arteries."
According to Clean Air for Everyone (C.A.F.E.) Iowa: "Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke for just 30 minutes experience hardening of the arteries."
The Winner: None.
A perpetual tie. Both contestants disqualified for lack of originality.
Midwest Regional Final:
Smokefree Air for Everyone (bye)
The Winner: Smokefree Air for Everyone
WEST REGION
CONTEST 1
vs.
Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights (Berkeley, CA)
According to Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails: "Smoking Kills About 340 Young People a Day."
According to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights: "Just thirty minutes of exposure to secondhand smoke can cause heart damage similar to that of habitual smokers. Nonsmokers' heart arteries showed a reduced ability to dilate, diminishing the ability of the heart to get life-giving blood."
The Winner: Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails
As hard as it is to see my alma mater (ANR) go down to defeat, Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails earns the victory, not only for its outlandish statement, but for having the audacity to tell us that it cannot change the error because its web master is away (for 5 months now).
CONTEST 2
vs.
City of Laredo, Texas
According to the Tobacco Free Coalitions of Clark County and Skamania County: "As little as 30 minutes of secondhand smoke can lead to hardening of the arteries in nonsmokers."
According to the City of Laredo, Texas: "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."
The Winner: City of Laredo, Texas
While the 30 minutes of tobacco smoke leading to hardening of the arteries claim is old hat and has been made by many contestants, the 120 minutes of tobacco smoke leading to fatal cardiac arrhythmias claim is more original. And it is just as absurd. There is absolutely no evidence for either of these claims. So a close contest, but Laredo pulls it out at the buzzer.
West Regional Final:
Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails vs. City of Laredo, Texas
The Winner: Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails
Voting for the national semifinals is now on. The finalists will be announced on Sunday and the national champion will be announced on Monday (the same day that the NCAA basketball champion will be crowned).
Game 1: East vs. South
St. Louis University Tobacco Prevention Center vs. American Cancer Society
Game 2: Midwest vs. West
Smokefree Air for Everyone vs. Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails
To remind you, here are the claims of each of the regional finalists:
According to the St. Louis University Tobacco Prevention Center: "Arsenic, benzene, carbon monoxide, Plutonium 210 and a host of other poisons are in secondhand smoke."
According to the American Cancer Society: "Immediate effects of secondhand smoke include cardiovascular problems such as damage to cell walls in the circulatory system, thickening of the blood and arteries, and arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) or heart disease, increasing the chance of heart attack or stroke."
According to Smokefree Air for Everyone: "After 20 minutes, blood platelets look like a pack-a-day smoker's, making your blood "sticky" and contributing to stroke causing blood clots."
According to Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails: "Smoking Kills About 340 Young People a Day."
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