To the editor:

Your article about “Speedy” Perdue (Journal-World, Nov. 16) seemed to play on the emotion of a man who sacrificed for his country but did not seem to realize that his convenience of smoking caused health problems for those around him. Furthermore, I did not see any mention of smoking increasing the risk of stroke, which Mr. Perdue suffered. I’ve found that many people do not know the extent of tobacco’s risk to those who are addicted and those exposed. When they do learn, they realize this convenience should be banned.

Below are just a few facts from the American Heart Assn.:

• Cigarette and tobacco smoke, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, obesity and diabetes are the six major independent risk factors for coronary heart disease that you can modify or control.
• Cigarette smoking is the most important risk factor for young men and women. It produces a greater relative risk in persons under age 50 than in those over 50.
• Women who smoke and use oral contraceptives greatly increase their risk of coronary heart disease and stroke compared with nonsmoking women who use oral contraceptives.
• The link between second-hand smoke and disease is well known, and the connection to cardiovascular-related disability and death also is clear. About 37,000 to 40,000 people die from heart and blood vessel disease caused by other people’s smoke each year.

John Pepperdine Jr.,

Lawrence