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Passive Smoking Disadvantages

Passive smoking, also referred to as secondhand smoking, occurs when someone who isn't smoking breathes in smoke from someone who is. It comes in the form of side stream smoke, which is emitted from the lit end of the cigarette, and mainstream smoke, smoke exhaled by the smoker. Passive smoking exposes nonsmokers to the chemicals and toxins found in tobacco smoke, increasing their risk of illnesses and diseases.

  1. Respiratory Illness

    • According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), children are more susceptible to the effects of secondhand smoke than adults. Passive smoking increases the number and severity of asthma attacks in more than 200,000 children every year. Each year, between 150,000 and 300,000 children contract lower respiratory illnesses resulting from passive smoking, and at least 7,500 children have respiratory infections severe enough to require hospitalization. Keeping your environment free of secondhand smoke is essential for your child's health and well being.

    Heart Disease

    • Heart disease is another problem brought on by passive smoking. Each year, 46,000 people in the U.S. die from heart disease associated with passive smoking, according to the American Cancer Society. Secondhand smoke negatively affects the heart and circulatory system, increasing the risk of heart attack. There are no safe levels of secondhand smoke; the only way to decrease your risk of heart disease from passive smoking is to avoid breathing in secondhand smoke.

    Cancer

    • Passive smoking greatly increases your risk of cancer. The American Cancer Society reports that passive smoke is a known carcinogen (cancer-causing agent). At least 60 of the more than 4,000 chemicals found in tobacco are possible carcinogens. Passive smoke is responsible for 3,400 lung cancer mortalities in the U.S. every year. There is even speculation that secondhand smoke may cause breast cancer. Studies on laboratory animals have shown a link between exposure to cigarette smoke and breast cancer, and researchers have detected chemicals from cigarettes in human breast milk.

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