Greek researchers have concluded that non-smokers run a significant risk of developing heart problems from breathing second-hand smoke.
As reported in the journal BioMed Central Public Health, researchers at the University of Athens surveyed 2,000 non-smoking patients who were split into two groups. The first group included people who had shown up at hospitals suffering from a heart attack or acute angina. Those in the second group had no cardiovascular problems, but were being treated as outpatients for routine examinations or minor surgery.
Researchers asked participants whether they were currently exposed to cigarette smoke more than 30 minutes a day and how many years they had been exposed as an adult to second-hand smoke. The researchers analyzed the odds of developing heart disease for non-smokers who were exposed to cigarette smoke, while excluding the effects of other factors.
Even people who were exposed to cigarette smoke fewer than three times a week for more than 30 minutes on each occasion were found to have a 26 percent increased risk of developing acute heart disorders.
"The only safe way to protect non-smokers from exposure to cigarette smoke is to eliminate this health hazard from public places through legislation," concluded the researchers.
