Secondhand SmokeWhat is secondhand smoke?  * sidestream smoke: smoke that comes from the finish of a lighted cigarette, pipe, or cigar  * mainstream smoke: smoke that is exhaled by a smoker Secondhand smoke is also known as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) or passive smoke. It's a mixture of 2 forms of smoke that comes from burning tobacco: When non-smokers are exposed to secondhand smoke it's called involuntary smoking or passive smoking. Non-smokers who breathe in secondhand smoke take in nicotine and other toxic chemicals like smokers do. The more secondhand smoke you are exposed to, the higher the level of these harmful chemicals in your body. Why's secondhand smoke a problem? Secondhand smoke is classified as a "known human carcinogen" (cancer-causing agent) by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US National Toxicology Program, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a branch of the World Health Organization. Secondhand smoke causes cancer Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemical compounds. Over 60 of these are known or suspected to cause cancer. Secondhand smoke causes other kinds of diseases and deaths  * an estimated 46,000 deaths from heart disease in non-smokers who live with smokers  * about 3,400 lung cancer deaths in non-smoking adults  * other breathing problems in non-smokers, including coughing, mucus, chest discomfort, and reduced lung function  * 150,000 to 300,000 lung infections (such as pneumonia and bronchitis) in kids younger than 18 months of age, which result in 7,500 to 15,000 hospitalizations annually  * increases in the number and severity of asthma attacks in about 200,000 to 1 million kids who have asthma  * over 750,000 middle ear infections in kids Secondhand smoke can cause harm in plenty of ways. In the United States alone, each year it's responsible for: Secondhand smoke may be linked to breast cancer Pregnant women exposed to secondhand smoke are also at increased risk of having low birth weight children. Any link between secondhand smoke and breast cancer risk in human studies is still being debated. This is partly because breast cancer risk has not been shown to be increased in active smokers. One possible explanation for this is that tobacco smoke may have different effects on breast cancer risk in smokers and in those who are exposed to secondhand smoke. An issue that is still being studied is whether secondhand smoke may increase the risk of breast cancer. Both mainstream and secondhand smoke contain about 20 chemicals that, in high concentrations, cause breast cancer in rodents. And they know that in humans, chemicals from tobacco smoke reach breast tissue and are found in breast milk. Secondhand smoke kills kids and adults who don't smoke, and makes others sick (Surgeon General's document) A document from the California Environmental Protection Agency in 2005 concluded that the evidence regarding secondhand smoke and breast cancer is "consistent with a causal association" in younger women. This means that the secondhand smoke acts like it could be a cause of breast cancer in these women. The 2006 US Surgeon General's document, The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, found that there's "suggestive but not sufficient" evidence of a link at this point. In any case, women should be told that this possible link to breast cancer is yet another reason to avoid being around secondhand smoke.  * Secondhand smoke causes premature death and disease in kids and in adults who do not smoke. The 2006 US Surgeon General's document reached some important conclusions:  * Kids exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk of sudden child death syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory infections, ear problems, and more severe asthma. Smoking by parents causes breathing (respiratory) symptoms and slows lung growth in their kids.  * Secondhand smoke immediately affects the heart and blood circulation in a harmful way. Over a longer time it also causes heart disease and lung cancer.  * The scientific evidence shows that there's no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.  * Plenty of millions of Americans, both kids and adults, are still exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes and workplaces despite a great deal of progress in tobacco control. Where is secondhand smoke a problem?  * The only way to fully protect non-smokers from exposure to secondhand smoke indoors is to prevent all smoking in that indoor space or building. Separating smokers from non-smokers, cleaning the air, and ventilating buildings cannot keep non-smokers from being exposed to secondhand smoke. There's 4 places where you should be concerned about exposure to secondhand smoke: Your workplace Secondhand smoke in the workplace has been linked to an increased risk for heart disease and lung cancer among adult non-smokers. The Surgeon General has said that smoke-free workplace policies are the only way to do away with secondhand smoke exposure in the workplace. Separating smokers from non-smokers, cleaning the air, and ventilating the building cannot prevent exposure if people still smoke inside the building. An extra bonus besides protecting non-smokers is that workplace smoking restrictions may also encourage smokers to quit. The workplace is a major source of secondhand smoke exposure for adults. Secondhand smoke meets the standard to be classified as a potential cancer-causing agent by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the federal agency responsible for health and safety regulations in the workplace. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), another federal agency, also recommends that secondhand smoke be considered a possible carcinogen in the workplace. Because there's no known safe levels, they recommend that exposures to secondhand smoke be reduced to the lowest possible levels. Everyone can be exposed to secondhand smoke in public places, such as restaurants, shopping centers, public transportation, schools, and daycare centers. Some businesses seem to be afraid to ban smoking, but there's no credible evidence that going smoke-free is bad for business. Public places where kids go are a special area of concern. Public places Making your home smoke-free may be one of the most important things you can do for the health of your relatives. Any relatives member can create health problems related to secondhand smoke. Your home Think about it: they spend more time at home than anywhere else. A smoke-free home protects your relatives, your guests, and even your pets. Kids are sensitive to secondhand smoke. Asthma, lung infections, and ear infections are more common in kids who are around smokers. A number of these problems can be serious and even life-threatening. Others may seem like tiny problems, but they add up quickly: think of the expenses, doctor visits, medicines, lost school time, and often lost work time for the parent who must take the child to the doctor. In the United States, 21 million, or 35% of kids live in homes where residents or visitors smoke in the home on a regular basis. About 50% to 75% of kids in the United States have detectable levels of cotinine, the breakdown product of nicotine, in their blood. Cars are another place that you can be exposed to secondhand smoke. Americans spend a great deal of time in cars, and if someone smokes there, dangerous levels of smoke can build up quickly. Again, this can be harmful to kids. In response to this fact, the US Environmental Protection Agency has a special program to encourage people to make their cars, as well as their homes, smoke-free. The automobile What about smoking odors? There's no research in the medical literature about the cancer-causing effects of cigarette odors. Research does show that secondhand tobacco smoke can get in to hair, clothing, and other surfaces. Though unknown, the cancer-causing effects would likely be tiny compared to direct exposure to secondhand smoke, such as living in a house with a smoker. Local, state, and federal authorities can enact public policies to protect people from secondhand smoke and protect kids from tobacco-caused diseases and addiction. Because there's no safe levels of secondhand smoke, it's important that any such policies be as strong as possible, and that they do not prevent action at other levels of government. What can be completed about secondhand smoke? Plenty of US local and state governments, and even federal governments in some other countries, have decided that protecting the health of employees and others in public places is of the utmost importance. Plenty of have passed neat indoor air laws in recent years. While the laws vary from place to place, they are becoming more common. Detailed information on smoking restrictions in each state is available from the American Lung Association at http://slati.lungusa.org. To learn how you can become involved in helping to promote laws to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke, you can visit ACS CAN on the Web at www.acscan.org and see what is happening across the country. The Web-site can also take you to your state's page so you can find out what is going on there. Or you can call ACS CAN at 1-888-NOW I CAN (1-888-669-4226). Additional resources Other organizations* American Heart Association Telephone: 1-800-242-8721 (1-800-AHA-USA-1) Web-site: www.americanheart.org In addition to the American Cancer Society, other sources of information and support include: American Lung Association Telephone: 1-800-586-4872 (1-800-LUNG-USA) Web-site: www.lungusa.org Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Web-site: www.epa.gov Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office on Smoking and Health 1-800-232-4636 (1-800-CDC-INFO) Web-site: www.cdc.gov/tobacco/how2quit.htm Smokefree.gov (Info on state phone-based quitting programs) Telephone: 1-800-784-8669 (1-800-QUITNOW) Web-site: www.smokefree.gov National Cancer Institute Telephone: 1-800-422-6237 (1-800-4-CANCER) Web-site: www.cancer.gov No matter who you are, they can help. Contact us anytime, day or night, for information and support. Call us at 1-800-ACS-2345 (1-800-227-2345) or visit www.cancer.org. *Inclusion on this list does not imply endorsement by the American Cancer Society. References American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2009. Atlanta, GA. 2009. Betts KS. Secondhand Suspicions: Breast Cancer and Passive Smoking. Environ Health Perspect. 2007 March; 115: A136–A143. American Lung Association. Secondhand Smoke Fact Sheet. Available at: www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=35422. Accessed October 2, 2008. California Environmental Protection Agency. Health Effects of Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke. June 2005. Available at: www.oehha.ca.gov/air/environmental_tobacco/pdf/app3partb2005.pdf. Accessed October 3, 2008. Borland R, Yong H-H, Siahpush M, et al. Support for and reported compliance with smoke-free restaurants and bars by smokers in one countries: findings from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) One Country Survey. Tobacco Control. 2006;15(suppl_3):34-41. 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Exposure of the US population to environmental tobacco smoke: The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988 to 1991. JAMA. 1996;275:1233-1240. Schuster MA, Franke T, Pham CB. Smoking patterns of household members and visitors in homes with kids in the United States. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2002;156:1094-1100. Steenland K. Passive smoking and the risk of heart disease, JAMA. 1992;267:94-99. US Department of Health and Human Services. 11th Document on Carcinogens. Public Health Service -- National Toxicology Program. 2005. Available at: http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntpweb/index.cfm?objectid=035E5806-F735-FE81-FF769DFE5509AF0A. Accessed October 3, 2008. US Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Document of the Surgeon General. Washington, DC: Department of Health and Human Services; 2006. Available at: www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/. Accessed October 3, 2008. |
