Are non-smokers overreacting, as the tobacco companies have charged?
Just how toxic is second-hand smoke? Thirty years ago, smoky air was something many non-smokers begrudgingly put up with from time to time. If you went to a disco or a diner, smoky air was just the way it was. You wanted to be there, and smoking was just a part of the scene. Maybe you or some of your friends were the smokers. Many people wondered back then whether breathing this second-hand smoke, or environment tobacco smoke (ETS) as it has come to be called, might be hazardous to one’s health. Indeed it is. This hunch has been supported by numerous scientific studies substantiating a link between chronic ETS exposure and several health risks. In 1986, two major reports on ETS, by the U.S. Surgeon General and the National Research Council, prompted many states, businesses and other organizations to tighten smoking regulations. Workers grew more concerned about the importance of air quality in their work environments. And many non-smokers breathed a sigh of relief to hear others agree
