Second-hand smoke exposure drops drastically

There are less and less public areas these days in which a smoker can find refuge to indulge in a cigarette or two. Supporters of a healthy environment -- whether in a restaurant, shopping center or just out walking around -- have lauded the state policies that seem to crop up constantly that forbid smoking in certain public places.

Opponents fear that by losing potential customers that smoke, business damage can result and that can be worse than the small amount of second-hand smoke non-smokers ingest.

Well, the sharp drop in second-hand smoke exposure is no longer a myth really -- and a team led by Dr. Saverio Stranges said that "In the absence of high levels of recent exposure to second-hand smoke, cumulative lifetime exposure to second-hand smoke may not be as important a risk factor for myocardial infarction (heart attack) as previously thought."

Evidence apparently continues to mount, though, due to the fact that hospital admissions for heart attacks seem to drop sharply from certain areas once smoking is banned in those same areas and second-hand smoke exposure drops drastically as a result.