Secondhand smoke damages lungs, MRIs show

EurekAlert ^ | 26-Nov-2007 | Chengbo Wang, Ph.D.,

[crazyshrink]

It’s not a smoking gun, but it’s smoking-related, and it’s there in bright medical images: evidence of microscopic structural damage deep in the lungs, caused by secondhand cigarette smoke. For the first time, researchers have identified lung injury to nonsmokers that was long suspected, but not previously detectable with medical imaging tools.

The researchers suggest that their findings may strengthen public health efforts to restrict secondhand smoke.

“We used a special type of magnetic resonance imaging to find these structural changes in the lungs,” said study leader Chengbo Wang, Ph.D., a magnetic resonance physicist in the Department of Radiology at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “Almost one-third of nonsmokers who had been exposed to secondhand cigarette smoke for a long time developed these structural changes.” Formerly at the University of Virginia, Wang collaborated with radiology researchers at that institution, where they acquired the MRIs from adult smokers and nonsmokers.

Wang presented the team’s findings in Chicago at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. Although the participants in the research study were adults, Wang said the results have implications for the 35 percent of American children who live in homes where regular smoking occurs.

The researchers studied 60 adults between ages 41 and 79, 45 of whom had never smoked. The 45 non-smokers were divided into groups with low and high exposure to secondhand smoke; the high-exposure subjects had lived with a smoker for at least 10 years, often during childhood. The 15 current or former smokers formed a positive control group.

The research team prepared an isotope of helium called helium-3 by polarizing it to make it more visible in the MRI. Researchers diluted the helium in nitrogen and had research subjects inhale the mixture. Unlike ordinary MRIs, this MRI machine measured diffusion, the movement of helium atoms, over 1.5 seconds. The helium atoms moved a greater distance than in the lungs of normal subjects, indicating the presence of holes and expanded spaces within the alveoli, tiny sacs within the lungs.

The researchers found that almost one-third of the non-smokers with high exposure to secondhand smoke had structural changes in their lungs similar to those found in the smokers. “We interpreted those changes as early signs of lung damage, representing very mild forms of emphysema,” said Wang. Emphysema, a lung disease that is a major cause of death in the U.S., is commonly found in heavy smokers.

The researchers also found a seemingly paradoxical result among two-thirds of the high-exposure group of non-smokers—diffusion measurements that were lower than those found in the low-exposure group. Although these findings require more study, said Wang, they may reflect a narrowing in airways caused by early stages of another lung disease, chronic bronchitis.

“To our knowledge, this is the first imaging study to find lung damage in non-smokers heavily exposed to secondhand smoke,” said Wang. “We hope our work strengthens the efforts of legislators and policymakers to limit public exposure to secondhand smoke.”

### The study received financial support from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute, the Commonwealth of Virginia Technology Research Fund, and Siemens Medical Solutions.

Wang’s co-authors were Talissa A. Altes, M.D., and Kai Ruppert, Ph.D., now of the Children’s Hospital Radiology Department; and G. Wilson Miller, Ph.D., Eduard E. deLange, M.D., Jaime F. Mata, Ph.D., Gordon D. Cates, Jr., Ph.D., and John P. Mugler III, Ph.D., all of the University of Virginia Department of Radiology. Drs. Wang, Altes, and Ruppert were previously at the University of Virginia as well.

[saganite]

The results are far from meaningless. They will be used to further restrict smoking. Might as well make it illegal and be done with it.

[RC51]

Smokers smell really, really bad... it makes me want to barf when one gets on the elevator w/ me. I think homeless people smell better than smokers.

[wolfcreek]

Yeah, when they can differentiate between causes, I’ll be impressed.

[advertising guy]

yep.............and it was round filed ASAP too

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Oh, no. I grew up breathing in secondhand smoke. I’m dooooooooooooooooooomed!

[Raycpa]

Not even photographic evidence will ever convince me that SHS is anything but pure as mothers milk, perfectly harmless and necessary for a child’s basic health needs so he can grow up and have a fully functioning immune system.

[Eric Blair 2084]

Big Brother, Nanny State, Grant Junky, Bogus Study, Junk Science, Social Engineering, Sheeple Control, Health Nazi

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We the People Sheeple of the United States Nanny State, in Order to form a more perfect Union Socialist Utopia, establish Justice Socially engineer a country of non smoking, physically fit, tea totallers, insure domestic Tranquility Smoking bans in bars, limits on unhealthy food and social drinking, provide for the common defense Universal Healthcare, promote the general Welfare health of the population whether they like it or not, in order to save above mentioned Universal Healthcare entitlement program from bankruptcy, and secure the Blessings of Liberty Dependency to ourselves progressive liberals and our Posterity Hitler Youth who we brainwash through public school education, do ordain decree and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. Nanny State of Liberals

[Eric Blair 2084]

Besides Richard Moorehead, name one other person who has been killed by Second Hand Smoke. He is the only documented case to date.

Man’s Impending Death To Be Caused By Second Hand Smoke

Atlanta, Ga. July 13, 2007– In a joint press conference on Friday, the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the premature death of a Montana man will be caused by exposure to Second Hand Smoke.

“After extensive conversation with the SAMMEC computers and after long and grueling hours of torturing the data until it told us what we want to hear, we are finally prepared to definitively state that Richard Mooreheads’ death will be a direct result of his exposure to Second Hand Smoke.” Said WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan “We can find no other logical reason for Mr. Moorehead's soon to be tragic demise other than his exposure to SHS.”

The soon to be deceased Mr. Moorehead, 54, an unemployed HIV positive, type 2 diabetic, MS, ALS and kidney dialysis patient who is addicted to crystal meth and heroin, was shocked and visibly angry when told of his diagnosis and cause of death. Reached at his home in an exclusive gated trailer park community in Missoula, MT, Mr. Moorehead blamed his impending death on the careless brutes with cigarettes down at Jim’s Roadhouse Bar on Highway 263. “I’ve never smoked tobacco in my life. But that darn Jim’s Bar was always filled with that there smoke.”

Second Hand Smoke, also known as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar and the smoke exhaled from the lungs of a smoker. It causes an estimated 450,000 deaths per day, according to health authorities, Al Gore and Dionne Warwick’s Psychic Friends Network. It’s also been known to cause AIDS, herpes, hemorrhoids, athlete’s foot and jock itch.

[Godebert]

"Secondhand smoke damages lungs, MRIs show."

"That is why I stick with firsthand smoke."

Lol.

[Eric Blair 2084]

Sir, tobacco smoke is annoying to many, but it doesn’t kill anyone. Would you like to have an intelligent conversation where I explain it to you and go over the fallacy of the “studies”? Please respond.

It’s not your fault you have been brainwashed by the liberal media drum beat.

[Mr. Silverback]

Good post.

[Mr. Silverback]

I just think that second hand smoke makes me ill. I don’t need a silly study to know that. I do think there could be some legitimate government function when it comes to people subjecting others to their ingestion desires.

While I'm no fan of second-hand smoke, consider this: My wife works with a nurse who wears way, way too much perfume. My wife doesn't need a study to tell her that it's unpleasant to be in close quarters with this person. Is theire a legitimate government function when it comes to people subjecting others to their scenting desires?

[Mr. Silverback]

If secondhand smoke kills, I’m doomed, because I cause smoke in my kitchen every time I make a grilled cheese sandwich...

[Mr. Silverback]

Well, duh. How could second-hand smoke NOT damage lungs? All other smoke, etc., in the air is unhealthy for lungs. Why would cigarette smoke be any different?

Your lungs are made to handle a certain amount of contaminant exposure and repair the damage. It's quite conceivable that exposure to an amount below a certain threshold would result in no net damage at all, even if one was exposed every day for decades.

[Eric Blair 2084]

We have to have a talk then. I’m the master of the grilled cheese sandwich :-) The key is you have to put the margarine or butter on the bread before you put it in the pan.

When the bread is wet, it gives the cheese a chance to melt. My kids love it. They want it for breakfast.

[Eric Blair 2084]

Do you want me to explain it to you...nicely?

[Mr. Silverback]

Actually, I always manage to get it right...after burning the first two. After that, they’re pretty much perfect.

My kids know I’m getting it because the smoke detector goes off about the time the third one goes in the pan.

[traviskicks]

LOL!

[DouglasKC]

Hold on....everyone missed something here. The report said:

The research team prepared an isotope of helium called helium-3 by polarizing it to make it more visible in the MRI. Researchers diluted the helium in nitrogen and had research subjects inhale the mixture. Unlike ordinary MRIs, this MRI machine measured diffusion, the movement of helium atoms, over 1.5 seconds. The helium atoms moved a greater distance than in the lungs of normal subjects, indicating the presence of holes and expanded spaces within the alveoli, tiny sacs within the lungs.

Okay, so the MRI measured how fast these atoms moved through lungs. The faster the atoms moved, the worse it was.

The researchers found that almost one-third of the non-smokers with high exposure to secondhand smoke had structural changes in their lungs similar to those found in the smokers. “We interpreted those changes as early signs of lung damage, representing very mild forms of emphysema,” said Wang. Emphysema, a lung disease that is a major cause of death in the U.S., is commonly found in heavy smokers.

In 1/3 of the non-smokers the atoms moved faster, indicating to the researchers lung damage.

BUT:

The researchers also found a seemingly paradoxical result among two-thirds of the high-exposure group of non-smokers—diffusion measurements that were lower than those found in the low-exposure group.

What!!! In 2/3 of the subjects, the atoms moved SLOWER. Therefore there were LESS holes in the lungs. In other words, by their criteria, 2/3 of the high exposure group had LESS lung damage than the low exposure group!

BUT they don't spin it that way.

Although these findings require more study, said Wang, they may reflect a narrowing in airways caused by early stages of another lung disease, chronic bronchitis.

They theorize it's a "different" lung disease (with no proof).

I think it's valid to theorize that exposure to 2nd hand smoke makes one have healthier lungs by causing lungs to work harder. A healthy heart gets healthy by exercise. Healthy lungs would seem to work the same way.

[traviskicks]

ping