Health Risks of Secondhand Smoke

Types of secondhand smoke:
Mainstream Smoke: Smoke exhaled from a smoker
Sidestream Smoke: Smoke from the end of a lit cigarette, cigar, pipe, etc.

Nonsmokers also absorb harmful compounds like nicotine through secondhand smoke. Some of these are carcinogens, which are toxic and lethal.
In fact, of the chemical compounds found in secondhand smoke, more than 60 of them are proven to be cancer-causing.


These are some of the negative health effects that can be attributed to second hand smoke each year:
• 35,000 – 40,000 deaths from heart disease in non-smokers
• 3,000 lung cancer deaths in non-smokers
• 200,000 to 1 million asthmatic children have an increase in number and severity of asthma attacks
• 150,000 – 300,000 respiratory tract infections in children under 18 months, many of which require hospitalization

Here are some more effects of secondhand smoke that can hurt you and your loved ones:
• Increased risk of SIDS and premature death
• Respiratory problems, such as coughing, phlegm, chest discomfort and reduced lung function
• Low birth weight
• Slowed lung growth
Some chemicals in cigarettes that have also been shown to cause breast cancer. They can even reach breast tissue and are found in breast milk. With all of this risk, would you want to bring yourself or your child into a smoking establishment?

The greater the exposure to secondhand smoke, the more harmful it is to your body. So now imagine what secondhand smoke is doing to your body if you work an 8 hour shift in a restaurant or bar that allows smoking.

Putting up walls between smoking and non-smoking sections, ventilating systems and cleaning the air can not eliminate the toxic compounds in second-hand smoke.
The only way to stop the harmful effects of second hand smoke, to families, groups of friends and employees, is to eliminate smoking in all establishments.

All of the statistics used are from the American Cancer Society.

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_2X_Secondhand_Smoke-Clean_Indoor_Air.asp