TOBACCOFREE/Second-hand Smoke Fact Sheet
Thu, 2009-07-23 11:06 — tzadmin
SECOND-HAND SMOKE FACT SHEET
Second-hand smoke is dangerous to non-smokers:
- Second-hand smoke speeds up the heart rate, raises blood pressure and doubles the amount of deadly carbon monoxide in a non-smoker's blood.
- Second-hand smoke contains 250 chemicals known to be toxic, including more than 50 that can cause cancer.
- Second-hand smoke causes irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat. Second-hand smoke can also irritate the lungs, leading to coughing, excessive phlegm and chest discomfort.
- Nonsmokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke at home or work increase their heart disease risk by 25-30% and their lung cancer risk by 20-30%.
- Breathing second-hand smoke has immediate harmful effects on the cardiovascular system that can increase the risk of heart attack. People who already have heart disease are at especially high risk.
- More than 126 million non-smoking Americans continue to be exposed to second- hand smoke in homes, vehicles, workplaces, and public places. Most exposure to tobacco smoke occurs in homes and workplaces.
- There is no risk-free level of second-hand smoke exposure. Even brief exposure can be dangerous.
Second-hand smoke is deadly:
- Second-hand smoke has been estimated to cause 38,000 deaths per year.
- Second-hand smoke causes about 3,400 deaths each year from lung cancer in non- smokers.
Second-hand smoke is especially harmful to children:
- Almost 60% of U.S. children aged 3-11 years--or almost 22 million children--are exposed to second-hand smoke.
- About 25% of children aged 3-11 years live with at least one smoker, compared to only about 7% of nonsmoking adults.
- There are an estimated 150,000 to 300,000 cases every year of infections, such as bronchitis and pneumonia in infants and children under 18 months of age who breathe second-hand smoke.
- Children who are exposed to second-hand smoke are at increased risk for bronchitis, pneumonia, ear infections, more severe asthma, respiratory symptoms, and slowed lung growth.
Source: Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
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