Second-hand smoke is poisonous and has over 4000 chemicals, including 50 that can cause cancer.
Breathing second-hand smoke can be more dangerous than inhaling smoke through a cigarette.
It has twice as much nicotine and tar as the smoke that people smoking inhale and five times
more carbon monoxide, a deadly gas that starves your body of oxygen.
Other chemicals found in second-hand smoke include:
Benzo[a]pyrene found in coal tar, one of the most potent cancer-causing chemicals.
Formaldehyde used to preserve dead animals.
Hydrogen cyanide used in rat poison.
Ammonia used to clean floors and toilets.
Each year in Canada, breathing second-hand smoke causes more than 1000 deaths among people who
do not smoke, mainly from lung cancer and heart disease, and keeps many more from leading healthy lives.
Health experts do not know of a safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke.
People who do not smoke, and who are exposed to the toxic chemicals in second-hand smoke
on a regular basis, can suffer serious and life-threatening health problems.
In the long term, people exposed to second-hand smoke have a greater risk of suffering from
lung cancer, nasal sinus cancer, heart disease, stroke, and breathing problems, including increased
coughing, wheezing, pneumonia, bronchitis, and asthma.
People who live with someone who smokes and are exposed to tobacco smoke on a regular basis have
a 30 per cent increased risk of developing lung cancer and heart disease.
People who do not smoke will suffer from the effects of breathing second-hand smoke right away.
Even as little as 8 to 20 minutes can cause physical reactions linked to heart disease and stroke,
such as increased heart rate, less oxygen to the heart, and constricted blood vessels that increases
blood pressure and makes the heart work harder.
Pregnant women exposed to second-hand smoke can have a greater risk of miscarriages and babies
with low birth weight.
Infants and children are exposed to second-hand smoke in one out of five BC homes every day.
These children are at higher risk of getting sick because their lungs are still developing and
are more easily damaged by second-hand smoke. Infants also inhale more of the smoke because they
breathe faster than adults.
Second-hand smoke is harmful to infants and children in the following ways:
Infants who breathe second-hand smoke have a greater chance of dying from
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), also known as crib death. More than three
times as many infants die from second-hand smoke-related SIDS as from child
abuse or homicide. For more information, see BC HealthFile #46
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Children who are exposed to second-hand smoke have double the risk of getting
bronchitis and pneumonia. They also get more ear infections and suffer more
from chronic coughing, wheezing and breathlessness.
Second-hand smoke can affect childrens behaviour and their ability to understand and
reason. Studies have shown that children who are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke
score lower on tests in reading, math, logic and reasoning skills.
Asthma is a chronic lung condition that causes problems with breathing. An asthma attack can
involve wheezing, coughing, tightness, pressure or pain in the chest, and shortness of breath.
In rare cases, asthma can be fatal.
For children with asthma, exposure to even small amounts of second-hand smoke can trigger an
asthma attack.
Breathing second-hand smoke can increase the number of asthma attacks and can make the
attacks worse in children with asthma.
Exposing children with asthma to second-hand smoke in the home increases the number of
emergency room visits and hospital stays.
Exposure to second-hand smoke can cause children without asthma to develop it.
To protect your family from second-hand smoke, here are some things to consider:
Make your home smoke-free. Remember, the smoke from one cigarette can stay in a room for
hours, even if the window is open. Air purifiers and ventilation systems might remove some of
the smoke, but cannot remove all the toxic chemicals.
Do not allow smoking in your car. As most cars are airtight, the cigarette smoke has no
place to escape. Opening a window can change the airflow and cause the smoke to be blown directly
back at the people in the car.
Talk to your family and friends about the dangers of second-hand smoke and encourage them
to create smoke-free homes and cars.
Do not let family, friends and babysitters smoke around your baby.
Ask your family and friends to respect your smoke-free environment.
For more information:
For more information on second-hand smoke visit the following Web sites:
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