Health

7 Airports that Don't Care about Your Lungs

November 18, 2010 / 10:59 AM EST / CBS News

smoker, istockphoto, cigarettes, tobacco, 4x3 — istockphoto

Smoking is banned on airliners. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say one in four U.S. airports still let smokers light up indoors, including seven of the nation's biggest. And that means millions of travelers and airport workers are exposed to disease-causing secondhand smoke - all needlessly.

Is your airport on the naughty list?

Denver International

Charlotte Douglas International

Las Vegas McCarran International

Salt Lake City International

Washington Dulles International

Dulles Airport

Hartsfield-Jackson Altlanta International

Dallas Fort Worth Interenational

no smoking, scissors, cigarette — istockphoto

Secondhand smoke causes all sorts of serious health problems, including heart disease and lung cancer. And even brief exposure might trigger a heart attack, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Even ventilated smoking rooms do not eliminate second smoke exposure," says Dr. Thomas K. Frieden, director of the CDC. "Eliminating smoking at airports is the only way to fully eliminate exposure for people who pass into and through airports."

If the government can't force airports to change their policies, maybe its shocking new cigarette warning labels will persuade smokers to stop.