For blacks, secondhand smoke hits close to home
Major tobacco companies in recent months have — by federal court order — been admitting some startling truths through selected print, broadcast and social media outlets. The last of five series of “corrective statements” comes out this month, and its theme of secondhand smoke hits close to home for many African-Americans in Oklahoma.
Hundreds of Oklahomans die each year from diseases attributed to secondhand smoke, which contains about 7,000 chemicals including at least 70 that can cause cancer. Research shows that a higher percentage of AfricanAmerican families in Oklahoma, including those with vulnerable children, are being exposed to toxic secondhand smoke.
More than one in five black residents allows smoking in their homes, compared with fewer than one in six white citizens, and a higher percentage of African-Americans in Oklahoma allow smoking in vehicles, though that gap is smaller (22.4 percent to 20.9 percent).
Exposure to secondhand smoke can lead to heart disease and lung cancer, as it often does for smokers. And children who regularly breathe in tobacco smoke are at increased risk of asthma, bronchitis, ear infections and other ailments.
Everyone deserves the right to breathe clean air. Doing all we can to combat secondhand smoke in public places and anywhere near children, including our own homes and vehicles, is a serious matter of health — and social justice.
That’s why Guiding Right Inc., an Oklahoma City-based nonprofit that addresses health and socioeconomic disparities involving African-Americans, helps individuals who are thinking of quitting tobacco by linking them to resources and services, such as the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline. The agency also works with local businesses and churches to create tobacco-free environments.
The agency also works to raise awareness on the disproportionate harm that smoking menthol cigarettes has caused the African-American community.
Nationally, nearly nine out of 10 African-American smokers ages 12 and older prefer menthol over non-flavored cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Knowing this, the tobacco industry has marketed aggressively to the black community for decades, and with deadly results.
The CDC reports that menthol cigarettes may be more addictive than nonmenthols. Menthol cigarettes are less harsh than non-flavored cigarettes, making them easier to inhale deeply. This leads to more absorption of harmful chemicals into the body.
As Dr. Phil Gardiner of the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council puts it, “Menthol makes the poison go down easier.”
Banning all flavored cigarettes — including menthol — is needed and would improve the health of AfricanAmericans. According to Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 85 percent of black smokers ages 12 and older smoke menthol products, a rate that is three times higher than white smokers.
In reality, banning menthol cigarettes and reducing exposure to secondhand smoke ultimately benefits all Oklahomans. To learn more about supporting tobacco-free environments in your community, visit stopswithme.com. For more information on Guiding Right, call (405) 733-0771 or visit www.guidingright.org.
Noel is executive director of Guiding Right Inc.