What You Should Know About
The Effects of Secondhand Smoke
Everyone knows that smoking is harmful to the lungs and many other parts of the body. What's less known, however, is that even other people's smoke can be harmful, especially to children and people who already have respiratory diseases.
When someone is smoking nearby, you're exposed to what's called secondhand smoke, or passive smoking. There are two kinds of secondhand smoke: what's exhaled by the person smoking, and what comes from the end of a burning cigarette. In both cases, exposure to this smoke can cause coughing, sneezing, a runny nose, burning eyes, and headaches. And it can raise the risk of much more serious problems for nonsmokers of all ages.
Risks to All Nonsmokers
The risk of lung cancer in a nonsmoker who lives in the same house with a smoker is about double that of a nonsmoker who isn't routinely exposed to secondhand smoke. That's because secondhand smoke is a mixture of 4,000 chemicals, 200 of which are poisons and 63 of which cause cancer. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that secondhand smoke causes about 3,000 lung cancer deaths each year in America among nonsmokers.
The risks are even greater if the nonsmoker has asthma or another respiratory disease. Exposure to smoke in the home or car - even the odor of smoke on clothing, skin, and hair - can worsen asthma symptoms. The result may be more visits to the emergency room, an increased need for asthma medications, and a reduced ability to pursue daily activities.
Risks to Fetuses and Newborns
Women who smoke while pregnant raise the risks of miscarriage, premature birth, and sudden infant death syndrome. These risks probably result from decreased oxygen and increased carbon monoxide levels in the baby's blood.
Risks to Children
Secondhand smoke has dangerous effects on infants and young children. It can cause pneumonia, ear infections (including chronic infections, the most common cause of operations in children), bronchitis, a chronic cough, wheezing, and increased mucus production. In fact, children in homes where one or both parents smoke have twice the risk of bronchitis and pneumonia, and they're more likely to be admitted to the hospital during their first year than children of nonsmoking parents.
Risks to Teens
The risks to teens are twofold: Young adults have an increased risk of health problems from secondhand smoke, and they're more likely to take up smoking themselves if one or both parents smoke. Lung problems caused or worsened by secondhand smoke during childhood can extend all the way into adulthood. And people who start smoking during their teen years typically find it even more difficult to quit than people who start smoking as adults. As a result, they suffer greater long-term health effects, including emphysema, heart disease, and cancer.
Avoiding Secondhand Smoke
Fortunately, there are many ways to avoid secondhand smoke. Here are just a few:
- Ask visitors and family members to smoke outside.
- Don't let anyone smoke in your bedroom.
- Don't let people to smoke in your or car.
- Ask friends and family members to consider quitting smoking.
- If you smoke, talk to your health care professional programs to help you quit.
- Sit in nonsmoking sections of restaurants, airports, and other public places.
- Patronize smoke-free businesses.
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