Secondhand smoke clearly kills people and the only way to control it is to ban smoking in all workplaces, US Surgeon-General Dr Richard Carmona said yesterday.

In a report aimed at echoing the landmark 1964 Surgeon General's report that first laid out the dangers of smoking, Carmona detailed the effects of secondhand smoke and said no one should be forced to inhale it.

"Secondhand smoke causes premature death and disease in children and in adults who do not smoke," the report reads.

"Children exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory infections, ear problems and more severe asthma," it adds.

"Smoking by parents causes respiratory symptoms and slows lung growth in their children. Exposure of adults to secondhand smoke has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and causes coronary heart disease and lung cancer."

A 2005 report from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention found 3,000 people died every year in the United States from lung cancer, 46,000 died from heart disease and 430 newborns from sudden infant death syndrome all caused by secondhand smoke.

States, cities and other local authorities have battled over instituting smoking bans. Some industries, especially bars and restaurants, have said they will lose business if smoking is completely banned.

But the report said it is impossible to protect non-smokers even with designated smoking areas, and at least one report from California, which has strict bans, has shown no impact on businesses.

"Sustained progress toward a society free of involuntary exposures to secondhand smoke should remain a national public health priority," the report concludes.

Anti-smoking activists were delighted.

"This is the most significant report from the Surgeon General on tobacco in the last decade," said Matthew Myers of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

"This report once and for all ends any scientific debate about whether exposure to secondhand smoke is a cause of serious diseases like lung cancer and heart disease," Myers added in a telephone interview.

In a preface to the report, Carmona said at least 60 per cent of non-smokers in the United States have evidence of exposure to secondhand smoke in their blood.

The report said the tobacco industry has tried hard to cover up scientific findings on environmental tobacco smoke. "Industry documents indicate that the tobacco industry has engaged in widespread activities, however, that have gone beyond the bounds of accepted scientific practice," it said.

The below are some conclusions from the report:

Homes and workplaces are the predominant locations for exposure to secondhand smoke.

Current heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems alone cannot control exposure to secondhand smoke.

Air systems can distribute secondhand smoke throughout a building.

Exposure to secondhand smoke tends to be greater for people with lower incomes.

Exposure to secondhand smoke continues in restaurants, bars, casinos, gaming halls and vehicles.

Workplace smoking restrictions are effective in reducing secondhand smoke exposure.

Workplace smoking restrictions lead to less smoking among covered workers.

The majority of workers in the United States are now covered by smoke-free policies.

According to the most recent estimates from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, 20.9 per cent of US adults or 44.5 million people smoke cigarettes.

Source: China Daily