Massachusetts Sees Fewer Heart Attack Deaths Since Implementation of Smoke-Free Workplace Law

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BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) today released new data indicating a significant decrease in the number of heart attack deaths following the implementation of the statewide smoke-free workplace law in 2004.

DPH partnered with the Harvard School of Public Health on the study, which reviewed heart attack death data from all 351 Massachusetts cities and towns and showed an estimated average of 577 fewer fatal heart attacks annually than expected since the ban took effect.

Findings from the study, which will be published early next year, were presented in Boston at the monthly meeting of the Massachusetts Public Health Council.

“When we looked at the data, we saw a dramatic drop in heart attack deaths beginning in July, 2005 — a year after the workplace smoking ban went into effect. While there may be several factors that played a role in this decline, we believe the single most compelling reason was reduced exposure to secondhand smoke in workplaces across the state,” DPH Commissioner John Auerbach said.

“This is the latest success story in the battle to lower the toll that tobacco takes on the people of Massachusetts. Thanks to the ongoing support of Governor Patrick and the Legislature, Massachusetts remains a national leader in protecting its citizens from the health and economic consequences of tobacco use,” Commissioner Auerbach said.

In a 2006 report, The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, the U.S. Surgeon General states: “Secondhand smoke exposure causes heart disease. There is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke exposure … Even brief exposure adversely affects the cardiovascular and respiratory system … Only smoke-free environments effectively protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke exposure.”

Massachusetts presented a unique opportunity to examine the effects of smoke-free workplace regulations, since many communities enacted similar local laws prior to the comprehensive statewide ban in July 2004.

“When we compare municipalities with strong smoke-free laws and those without laws during the same time period, we see that, though heart attack deaths declined overall, a strong smoke-free workplace law was the single factor that is most closely related to the sharp decline in deaths,” said Dr. Lois Keithly, Director of the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program.

The Massachusetts study took into account a number of variables, including the general downward trend in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) deaths, as well as influenza outbreaks, seasonality, pollution, smoking prevalence, and related data.

“Secondhand smoke is an insidious killer,” said Dr. George Philippides, a cardiologist from Boston Medical Center and American Heart Association Boston Board President. “As a cardiologist, I’ve witnessed secondhand smoke’s harmful effects on my patients. This study shows how a public policy to eliminate secondhand smoke exposure can save lives on a large scale. We applaud the Department of Public Health and the Legislature for all the work they’ve done on this issue to protect the people of Massachusetts. With the Patrick Administration’s ongoing commitment to tobacco control programs, the state will continue to see real results, including a reduction in health care costs. The American Heart Association remains committed to working to ensure a comprehensive tobacco control program in the years ahead.”

The Massachusetts study reinforces and expands on studies conducted in Scotland and Italy, and studies in Kentucky, Montana, and Colorado that implemented similar laws. Those studies examined hospital admissions and occurrences of heart attacks, and found that smoke-free laws led to similar declines.

Commissioner Auerbach praised the Massachusetts Legislature for passing the statewide ban, and gave special recognition to communities like Brookline, Cambridge and Boston for their pioneering work which helped to speed passage of the statewide law.

The Department will release the full study in 2009, with estimates of local impact and cost savings to the Massachusetts health care system.

For local information related to the study, please contact:

Berkshire County
Lisa Fletcher-Udel
Berkshire AHEC
(413) 447-2417

Peter Kolodziej, Director
Tri-Town Health Department
(413) 243-5540

Boston
Boston Public Health Commission
Ann Scales, Director of Communications
(617) 534-2821

Cape Cod
Bob Collett
Cape Cod Regional Tobacco Control Program
Barnstable County Health and Human Services
(508) 375-6621

Fall River
Marilyn Edge
Fall River Tobacco Control Program
Fall River Health Department
(508) 324-2423

Lawrence
Diane Knight
Lawrence Tobacco Free Partnership
Greater Lawrence Family Health Center
(978) 688-2323, ext. 8618

Kerrie D’Entremont
Lawrence Board of Health
(978) 620-3121

Lowell
Frank Singleton, Director
Lowell Board of Health
(978) 970-4010

New Bedford
Judith Coykendall
Seven Hills Community Smoking Intervention Demonstration Program
Seven Hills Behavioral Health
(508) 995-3026, ext. 231

Marianne DeSouza, Director
New Bedford Board of Health
(508) 991-6288

Springfield
Helen Colton-Harris, Director
Springfield Department of Health and Human Services
(413) 750-2078

Worcester
Derek Brindisi, Director
Worcester Department of Health and Human Services
(508) 799-8566

Barbara Grimes-Smith
Community Smoking Intervention Demonstration Program
Spectrum Health Systems
(508) 792-5400, ext. 7104

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