Secondhand Smoke
Secondhand smoke is the smoke that comes from the front or side of a burning cigarette, pipe or cigar, plus the smoke that smokers breathe out.
Why is secondhand smoke dangerous?
Tobacco burns hotter at the end of the cigarette, and gives off more chemicals that cause cancer. Secondhand smoke contains over 250 toxic chemicals. More than 50 of these can cause cancer.
How dangerous is secondhand smoke?
- There is no safe level of secondhand smoke. It causes over 46,000 deaths per year in the US.
- Even if you inhale secondhand smoke for a short time, it can affect your heart, blood vessels, and lungs.
What kind of sicknesses does secondhand smoke cause?
- In adults, secondhand smoke can cause heart disease, lung cancer, and other lung diseases. In fact, nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke are 20-30% more likely to develop heart disease and lung cancer than people who are not exposed to secondhand smoke.
- In children, secondhand smoke can cause SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), ear and lung infections, and asthma attacks.
Learn more about how secondhand smoke affects your children:
