Secondhand Smoke

Secondhand smoke, as it is commonly referred to, is the combination of mainstream smoke (smoke emanating from the mouthpiece end of a cigarette or exhaled from the lungs) and sidestream smoke (smoke emanating from the ignited end of a cigarette). Secondhand smoke contains 250 toxic chemicals including 60 known carcinogens (cancer-causing agents).¹ The act of inhaling secondhand smoke is sometimes referred to as involuntary or passive smoking.

Approximately 3,400 non-smokers die each year from lung cancer caused by exposure secondhand smoke reports the California Environmental Protection Agency.² Between 150,000 and 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections in children under 18 months are caused each year by secondhand smoke. Of those cases, as many as 15,000 children require hospitalization.³

In recent years, smoke-free legislation has greatly increased the number of public places, including workplaces, which are now smoke-free. Below are some additional resources for information about secondhand smoke.

Resources

• American Heart Association - Environmental Tobacco Smoke
• Centers for Disease Control - Secondhand Smoke Resources
• Environmental Protection Agency - Health Effects of Exposure to Secondhand Smoke
• National Institutes of Health - MedlinePlus: Secondhand Smoke
• World Health Organization - Passive Smoking

References

1. National Toxicology Program. 11th Report on Carcinogens, 2005. Research Triangle Park, NC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Sciences, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 2000.
2. California Environmental Protection Agency. Proposed Identification of Environmental Tobacco Smoke as a Toxic Air Contaminant. Final report, September 29, 2005, approved by Scientific Review Panel on June 24, 2005.
3. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Smokefree Homes, Nov. 20, 2007.