Secondhand Smoke

What is secondhand smoke?

Secondhand smoke is both smoke from the burning end of a cigarette and the smoke breathed out by smokers. Secondhand smoke contains more than 7,000 toxic chemicals, some being related to cancer. Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke are inhaling the same cancer causing substances and poisons as smokers.

What are the health risks?

There is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and increases risk of heart disease, stroke, and/or lung cancer.

Secondhand smoke is also attributed to:

• Causing nearly 34,000 premature deaths from heart disease each year in the United States among nonsmokers.
• Increasing the risk of lung cancer. As with active smoking, the longer the duration and the higher the level of exposure to secondhand smoke, the greater the risk of developing lung cancer.
• Increasing the risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). SIDS is the sudden, unexplained, unexpected death of an infant in the first year of life. It is the leading cause of death in otherwise healthy infants.Smoking by women during pregnancy increases the risk for SIDS.
• Burning eyes, throat irritations, hoarseness, sneezing, headaches, and nausea.
• Respiratory problems, including coughing, phlegm, chest discomfort and reduced lung function.

How does secondhand smoke harm children?

• Older children whose parents smoke get sick more often. Their lungs grow less than children who do not breathe secondhand smoke, and they get more bronchitis and pneumonia.
• Wheezing and coughing are more common in children who breathe secondhand smoke.
• Secondhand smoke can trigger an asthma attack in a child. Children with asthma who are around secondhand smoke have more severe and frequent asthma attacks.
• Children whose parents smoke around them get more ear infections. They also have fluid in their ears more often and have more operations to put in ear tubes for drainage.

Tips for Parents and Pregnant Women

• Do not allow smoking anywhere in your car, home or around a baby or child.
• Make sure your child's day care center and school are tobacco-free.
• Do not smoke when pregnant.
• Children who grow up watching their parents smoke are more likely to smoke themselves.
• If you smoke, try to quit. For help, call 800-QUIT-NOW.