Secondhand smoke alarm.

• Position: TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS - Brief article

Secondhand smoke--a mixture of exhaled smoke with gases and particles from burning cigarettes, cigars or pipes--causes about 50,000 deaths a year in the United States. It contains at least 250 toxic chemicals, including more than 50 that can cause cancer. Secondhand smoke exposure increases the risk of heart disease and lung cancer by up to 30 percent in nonsmokers.

A growing number of state legislatures are addressing concerns about secondhand smoke by enacting smoke-free laws or smoking restrictions for public places. When smoke-free laws go into effect, research shows an immediate and significant drop in hospital admissions for heart attacks.

Concerns that smoke-free laws hurt restaurant and bar revenues have been debated, but research over a number of years generally shows...