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· Secondhand Smoke
· costs/finances
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· Indiana
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Expenses due to nonsmokers' exposure, say IU researchers, come to $47.5 million a year
Jump to full article: Indianapolis (IN) Star, 2009-10-22
Author: Shari Rudavsky
Intro: Secondhand smoking costs Marion County $47.5 million or about $54 per person annually in medical expenses, a study released Wednesday by Indiana University researchers finds.
The report, which comes a week before the City-County Council will vote on a stricter workplace smoking ban, cited expenses for ambulatory care, clinic visits, prescriptions, hospital visits and loss of life among nonsmokers. It was sponsored by Smoke Free Indy and Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation.
Nearly 100 adults, children and infants in Marion County died in 2008 from exposure to secondhand smoke, deaths that could have been prevented, the study's authors argue.
Secondhand smoke exposure can lead to lung, breast and other cancers, spontaneous abortions and asthma. In children, it contributes to low birth weight, sudden infant death, allergies and ear infections.
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