According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention article “Secondhand Smoke (SHS),” more than 126 million people in America are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke, with an estimated 60% of children being exposed to second hand smoke on a regular basis. Sidestream smoke contains more than 250 toxic or cancer-causing chemicals. Adults and children can suffer a variety of health problems related to secondhand smoke, but numbers are improving with smoking cessation programs and initiatives.
What is Secondhand Smoke?
Secondhand smoke, also known as environmental tobacco smoke or sidestream smoke, occurs when non-smokers are inside with someone who is smoking a cigarette, pipe, or cigar. These areas might be in a home, workplace, vehicle, restaurant, or other area. Chemicals from the burning tobacco product are released into the air, and chemicals are also released when the smoker exhales smoke.
Sidestream smoke tends to have smaller particles than mainstream smoke, in which the person smoking inhales the chemicals from the cigarette. Secondhand smoke often contains thousands of chemicals, many of which are considered toxins, irritants, and/or carcinogens, including these examples:
- nicotine (which produces a byproduct called cotinine in secondhand smoke)
- ammonia
- formaldehyde
- sulfur dioxide
- acrolein
- hydrogen cyanide
Environmental tobacco smoke often has higher concentrations of the following chemicals when compared to mainstream smoke:
- ammonia
- nitrogen oxides
- carcinogens (substances that cause cancer) such as benzene (10 times higher), N-nitrosoamines (6 to 100 times higher), and aniline (30 times higher)
Health Effects of Second Hand Smoke Exposure
Secondhand smoke can produce negative effects in children and adults. Several health effects and mutations of cells in non-smokers are very similar or the same as those seen in smokers.
In children, second-hand smoke may produce:
- infections in the ear
- infections in the lungs, such as bronchitis and pneumonia
- increased and more severe asthma attacks
- breathing problems
- increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
Environmental tobacco smoke can also cause heart disease and/or lung cancer in adults. Regular exposure to secondhand smoke increases a non-smoker’s risk for heart disease by 25-30%. Approximately 46,000 non-smokers die each year in the United States due to heart disease from secondhand smoke.
Lung cancer risk is increased by 20-30% in nonsmokers exposed to sidestream smoke with approximately 3,400 deaths resulting from lung cancer due to secondhand smoke.
Risk of Exposure to Second Hand Smoke Decreasing in America
The good news for Americans is that exposure to secondhand smoke has been decreasing since the levels peaked in the 1960s, but the numbers are still not particularly low. For example, estimates indicate that about 9 to 12 million children under the age of seven live in a home with environmental tobacco smoke. Data from a 1988 to 1991 Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that 90% of Americans over the age of three had detectable levels of continue.
Exposure to secondhand smoke tends to be higher among African Americans than among whites and Mexican Americans. People of lower income also tend to have higher exposure to secondhand smoke. Those who work in blue collar jobs, such as construction and in restaurants, may experience more exposure to secondhand smoke than some white collar jobs.
Many workplaces have gone smoke-free because nonsmokers cannot be adequately protected from secondhand smoke by simply separating smokers from non-smokers and/or ventilating the air. Smoking cessation programs have increased, and many countries now offer more options for those who wish to quit smoking.
Quick Facts and Stats About Secondhand Smoke
Although the number of people who are smoking in the United States has decreased, many non-smokers are still exposed to dangerous chemicals in secondhand smoke. As more workplaces, restaurants, and other public areas go smoke-free, perhaps smokers and non-smokers will enjoy the benefits of breathing cleaner air.
Readers may also wish to read these related articles:
Smoking During Pregnancy – How Does Smoke Affect the Baby?
Why is it Hard to Quit Smoking? Nicotine Addiction and Withdrawal
This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice.
Sources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention article “Secondhand Smoke (SHS)” last updated on January 15, 2010
National Toxicology Program’s 2005 Report on Carcinogens, 11th Edition, U.S. Department of Health and Human Sciences
Katrena Wells - Katrena Wells is a RN in NC with 17 1/2 years of experience in oncology, an educator since 1995, and has taught exercise classes since ...
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