Editor’s note: This commentary is by Nevin Zablotsky, DMD, a periodontist who practices in South Burlington.
Over the past 15 years, I have lectured dental and medical professionals across the country on the toll tobacco use takes on a smokers’ oral and overall health. I have also traveled throughout Vermont and spoken to elementary, junior and senior high school students about the dangers of smoking as well as the harm secondhand smoke causes. I was very impressed by how knowledgeable these students already were about this subject as well as their enthusiasm in wanting to help their friends and families stop smoking.
Over the past year I have become a grandfather of a beautiful little girl, and all of my discussions about the impact of secondhand smoke on infants and children have taken on new meaning to me. Now when I say that smoking by parents has been associated with a wide range of adverse effects in their children, including an increase in colds, asthma, ear infections and sudden infant death syndrome, I can visualize my helpless granddaughter breathing in this smoke.
Frankly, I become angry at the thought of innocent children being subjected to this hazard. I am also concerned about the air children are breathing when they are playing outside. I worry about them being exposed to secondhand smoke when they visit their local parks and playgrounds. Thankfully, my granddaughter will never have to worry about being exposed to secondhand smoke while riding in an enclosed vehicle as my daughter and son-in-law do not smoke. Sadly that is not the case for all kids, as one in three Vermont children are exposed to secondhand smoke while riding in cars every day.
According to a study by the Harvard School of Public Health, alarming levels of secondhand smoke were generated in just under five minutes in vehicles under various driving, ventilation and smoking conditions. It has also been reported that smoking in cars raises the levels of fine particulates to over three times the indoor air quality limit set by the World Health Organization. Fine particulate matter, commonly referred to as soot, has been identified by the American Lung Association as a major contributor to outdoor air pollution. Soot is most often emitted from smokestacks and from the tailpipes of vehicles. Imagine someone taking a piece of sandpaper to your lungs; exposure to fine particulate matter can be likened to that action.
Our children cannot protect themselves from this danger, so the burden falls on us. Now is the time for Vermont to assert ourselves as a leader in this arena.
Secondhand smoke is a serious health hazard causing close to 50,000 deaths in this country each year. Tobacco smoke is also a known asthma trigger. While you or I may know better, almost 6,000 Vermonters — that’s 15 percent of Vermont adults — allow smoking in vehicles while their children are present.
What’s even more alarming is that smoking in a vehicle when children are present is only prohibited in six states in this country, Maine being one of them. Eight years ago, in 2006, then-Surgeon General Richard Carmona declared: “The scientific evidence is now indisputable: secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance. It is a serious health hazard that can lead to disease and premature death in children and nonsmoking adults. Maintaining smoke free indoor environments are proven, simple approaches that prevent exposure and harm.”
Why is it that eight years later we are still allowing our children to be exposed to a substance we know is deadly?
The American Lung Association’s State of Tobacco Control 2014 annual report card grades states on four areas of tobacco control. Vermont’s grades were mixed, but we did receive one A grade — for the category of smoke-free air. Vermont’s comprehensive indoor smoke-free air laws earned us that A grade, and we should be proud of this accomplishment. Doesn’t it make sense to continue to protect our children from secondhand smoke while they are riding in cars?
As a Vermonter, when traveling around this country, I have always used my state as an example of how the rest of the country should address tobacco control and education. I am proud of all that we have done to protect our citizens, and work with those addicted to tobacco to quit its use. I am now calling for this important piece of legislation to quickly become a reality. A Vermont Department of Public Health poll found that 81 percent of Vermont residents also support the passage of H.70, a bill that proposes to ban smoking in vehicles in the presence of children under 18, into law.
Our children cannot protect themselves from this danger, so the burden falls on us. Now is the time for Vermont to assert ourselves as a leader in this arena.
