10-minute exposure to smoke enough to unsettle your heart

October 15th, 2009 Report: Smoking bans protect nonsmokers' heartsWASHINGTON — A major report confirms what health officials long have believed: Bans on smoking in restaurants, bars and other gathering spots reduce the risk of heart attacks among nonsmokers. "If you have heart disease, you really need to stay away from secondhand smoke.

September 7th, 2009 Smoke on Southwest flight forces landing in TampaTAMPA, Fla. — An official says smoke aboard a Southwest Airlines flight forced the pilot to make an emergency landing in Tampa, Fla.

September 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Carbon monoxide exposure has been found to elevate the risk of hospitalisation for the elderly with heart problems in an American study. The nationwide study of 126 urban communities has shown that an increase in carbon monoxide of 1 part per million in the maximum daily one-hour exposure is linked with a 0.96 percent increase in the risk of hospitalisation from cardiovascular disease among people over the age of 65.

July 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A review of studies have suggested that reducing kids' exposure to a variety of allergens, rather than targeting a single 'trigger,' might be a better way to avoid asthma. While some kids are genetically predisposed to developing the disease, parents might still be able to prevent or delay the onset of symptoms by minimizing exposure to likely allergens.

June 23rd, 2009 SF lawmakers to vote on Haight smoke shop banSAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco lawmakers are set to vote on a measure that would snuff out new shops that sell paraphernalia often used by pot smokers in the district at the heart of the city's hippie history. Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi's ordinance to be voted on Tuesday would place a three-year moratorium on new businesses in the Haight that sell the smoking equipment.

June 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Plastic bottles, cans and other plastic household items that contain the chemical bisphenol A, may increase the frequency of arrhythmias, or heartbeat irregularities, among females, according to a new study on rodents. Animal studies in the past have shown that bisphenol A (BPA) can have harmful effects on the reproductive, nervous, and immune systems.

May 5th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Exposure to tobacco smoke robs children of antioxidants, which shield the body against many biological stresses. A study by the University of Rochester Medical Centre (URMC) looked at the levels of antioxidants in comparison to the amount of smoke exposure in more than 2,000 children aged between 6 and 18 in the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

May 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Cyclohexanone, a chemical commonly used in the production of plastic devices like intravenous (IV) bags and catheters, weakened heart beats by 50 percent in rats. Artin Shoukas' personal experience with coronary bypass propelled his search for a root cause for the loss of taste.

April 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Only 10 minutes exposure of small doses of second-hand tobacco smoke or smoke from cooking oil and wood could adversely affect the cardiovascular function in both men and women, according to a University of Kentucky study. The study confirmed previous findings that tobacco smoke could possibly harm cardiovascular function.

April 9th, 2009 NEW YORK - Blood tests show that more than half of non-smokers here have elevated levels of cotinine, a consequence of recent exposure to toxic second-hand smoke. Cotinine, a by-product of nicotine breakdown, signals exposure to tobacco smoke.

April 5th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Finnish researchers have found that development of allergy might be tied to malfunction of the respiratory epithelium, which allows allergens to bind to, enter and travel through the epithelium. Previous studies had revealed a vital role of epithelium as the first line of defense against allergens.

March 20th, 2009 TORONTO - Acetaldehyde in alcohol is the greatest risk factor for digestive tract cancers, particularly for heavy drinkers, according to the latest evidence. Acetaldehyde is inhaled from the air and tobacco smoke, ingested from alcohol and foods, and produced in our body during the metabolism of alcoholic beverages.

February 12th, 2009 LONDON - Don't take passive smoking lightly or you could end up with impared thinking, sleeplessness, depression and clouded consciousness, according to the latest research. This is the first large-scale study to conclude that exposure to passive smoking could also lead to dementia and other neurological problems in adults.

January 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - To make the national capital smoke-free before the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the Delhi cabinet Wednesday cleared a Rs.100 million project to be implemented by the government in collaboration with the Bloomberg Global Initiative (BGI). 'The cabinet has given its nod to the project...

January 23rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The beating-heart bypass surgery that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh underwent here Saturday is considered the safest for elderly patients who have had a bypass surgery earlier and also have other ailments, say cardiologists. In an open-chest, beating-heart bypass procedure, surgeons make an incision through the breastbone to access the heart, which is not stopped during the surgery.