Secondhand smoke

Secondhand smoke is a mixture of smoke coming from the burning tips of cigarettes, pipes and cigars, and smoke exhaled by smokers.

Nonsmokers who are around secondhand smoke breathe in the chemicals from the tobacco smoke.

Breathing in secondhand smoke is known as involuntary because adults and children either do not want to breathe the smoke or because they do not have a choice.

Secondhand smoke causes death and disease in nonsmokers.

No amount is safe

No amount of secondhand smoke is safe.

The Environmental Protection Agency, National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer list secondhand smoke as a known cause of cancer in people.

Cigarette smoke has more than 4,000 chemical compounds.
The National Toxicology Program estimates that at least 250 chemicals in secondhand smoke are known to be toxic or cause cancer.
Research shows that secondhand smoke has more than 50 chemicals known to cause cancer.

Poisonous gases and chemicals in secondhand smoke include hydrogen cyanide (used in chemical weapons), carbon monoxide (in car exhaust), butane (used in lighter fluid), ammonia, and toluene (found in paint thinners).

Toxic metals in secondhand smoke include arsenic (used in pesticides), lead, chromium (used to make steel) and cadmium (used to make batteries).

How it affects adults

Exposure to secondhand smoke can cause heart disease and lung cancer in nonsmoking adults.

In United States adult nonsmokers each year, secondhand smoke causes…

about 3,000 lung cancer deaths
about 35,000 to 62,000 heart disease deaths

Nonsmoking adults are at an increased risk for both heart disease and lung cancer:

25 to 30 percent increased risk for heart disease
20 to 30 percent increased risk for lung cancer

Breathing secondhand smoke can cause respiratory (breathing) problems by...

quickly irritating and damaging the lining of the airways
triggering symptoms such as cough, phlegm, wheezing and breathlessness

How it affects children

Secondhand smoke is a known cause of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), respiratory problems, ear infections and asthma attacks in infants and children.

Secondhand smoke causes 150,000 to 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections (such as bronchitis and pneumonia) in infants and children younger than 18 months old. This leads to between 7,500 and 15,000 hospital stays each year.
Secondhand smoke causes between 1,900 and 2,700 SIDS deaths in the U.S. each year.
Secondhand smoke puts children at an increased risk for ear infections.
Secondhand smoke can trigger asthma attacks and make asthma attacks worse.

Children are more exposed to secondhand smoke than adults. Among children aged
3 to 11 years old…

nearly 60 percent (about 22 million) are exposed to secondhand smoke
about 25 percent of children live with at least one smoker

About 50 to 75 percent of children have detectable levels of cotinine (a chemical the body makes from nicotine) in their blood.

How to protect yourself and your family

According to the U.S. Surgeon General, the only way to protect your family from secondhand smoke is to live in 100 percent smoke-free environments.

Separating smokers from nonsmokers, opening a window or cleaning the air does not fully eliminate secondhand smoke exposure.

You can protect your family in these ways:

Make your home and car smoke-free.
Ask people not to smoke around you and your child(ren).
Choose restaurants and other businesses that are smoke-free.
Check on the smoking policies of daycare providers, schools and other caregivers.
Share information with other parents about the health risks of secondhand smoke.
Teach your child to stay away from tobacco products and secondhand smoke.

If an adult in your home smokes, only allow smoking outside.

The best way to protect the health of your family is to quit smoking. For help, talk with your health care provider, insurance provider, or call Allina Class Registration at 612-262-3333 for quit smoking classes or support groups.