Secondhand smoke is the smoke put into the atmosphere from burning tobacco (cigarettes, cigars, pipes) combined with the smoke exhaled by smokers. This smoke contains hundreds of toxic chemicals, including 50 that are known carcinogens. Exposure is highest in enclosed spaces, such as houses, offices, restaurants, and cars. However, there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Even being repeatedly exposed to just a little can harm your health.¹ So, stay away from tobacco smoke even outdoors! Remember - if you choose to be near people who are smoking, you are involuntarily smoking too. Here are some of the known health effects of secondhand smoke:

• In Adults -
  • Heart disease, and if you already have heart disease, secondhand smoke can have an immediate effect on your heart arteries, such as a sudden heart attack.
  • Lung cancer - 20-30% increased risk
  • Decreased lung function & irritability (coughing, mucus production, chronic bronchitis)
  • Increased risk of pre-term birth
  • premature death

• In Children -
  • Increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
  • Slower growth of lungs
  • Increased risk of ear infections, pneumonia, and bronchitis
  • More severe asthma attacks²
  • Premature death³
  • Fetuses whose mothers smoke or who are exposed to secondhand smoke during pregnancy are at increased risk for cleft lip and palate, childhood leukemia, and mental and behavioral problems (Full report)

Source: Wilson, K, Asst Professor of Pediatrics, U. of Rochester, Presentation to Pediatric Academy Society Meeting, 5/3/2010.

Thanks to public awareness campaigns and laws banning smoking in public places and at worksites, exposure to secondhand smoke has been cut in half in the last 20 years, over a million nonsmokers are exposed to tobacco smoke annually, including 60% of children.

Also See:
What You(th) Should Know About Tobacco

Women and Tobacco

Over the last few decades, tobacco use has rapidly become as much of a health risk for women as for men. It's been 20 years since lung cancer surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer death in women. Women tobacco users have the same risk of heart disease, lung diseases, and tobacco-related cancers as men and also have a higher rate of cervical cancer.

Additional health risks for women are:

• Infertility
• Pre-term delivery
• Low birth weight babies
• Stillbirth
• SIDS
• Post-menopause decrease in bone density⁴
• Painful periods, missed periods, early onset of menopause
• Smoking while using birth control pills greatly increases the risk of heart attack⁵

Smokefree.gov has developed a web site just for women where you'll find a wealth of information on tobacco, help with quitting, and a way to interact with other women who want to quit.

Also See:
Cancer - Reduce Your Risk
Women's Health Issues and Prevention

<< back to previous page