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Article: Is the public health message on secondhand smoke based on science?(POINT/COUNTERPOINT)
- Article from:
- Internal Medicine News
- Article date:
- February 15, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 International Medical News Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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No, it's driven by politics, not good science.
The news media has parroted the idea that secondhand smoke is harmful, and a recent survey finds that more than 80% of adults now believe that it is. But the secondhand smoke scare is based largely on speculation reminiscent of superstitions from the Middle Ages, before the discovery of the scientific method.
The 2006 Surgeon General's 709-page report, "The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke" further promotes this sham. The report claims that even brief exposure to secondhand smoke can cause immediate harm and cites reports that estimate secondhand smoke (SHS) causes approximately ...