Health Risks of Passive Smoking

Exposure to secondhand smoke, or passive smoking, can cause serious health problems and even death. Secondhand smoke--also known as environmental tobacco smoke--is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as smoke from a burning cigarette, cigar, or pipe tip; or smoke that has been exhaled or breathed out by the person smoking. According to the CDC, most passive smoking takes place in homes and workplaces, but it still occurs in public places such as restaurants, bars and private vehicles. Despite progress in reducing passive smoking in the United States, secondhand smoke exposure still affects over 126 million U.S. nonsmokers. Children are especially at risk. The CDC says an estimated 60 percent of U.S. children are exposed to secondhand smoke.

Lung Cancer

• According to a 1993 report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), passive smoking is responsible for approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths in nonsmoking adults each year. The CDC says that nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their lung cancer risk by 20 to 30 percent. The EPA classifies environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) as a "Group A" carcinogen--the most serious of the EPA's carcinogen assessment classifications reserved for those compounds or mixtures proven to cause cancer in humans.

Heart Disease

• Secondhand smoke exposure causes an estimated 46,000 heart disease deaths annually among adult nonsmokers in the United States, according to the CDC. Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their heart disease risk by 25 to 30 percent. Passive smoking also has immediate harmful effects on the cardiovascular system that can increase the risk for heart attack, especially for people who already have heart disease.

Lung Disease in Children

• The EPA's report on passive smoking concludes that secondhand smoke exposure in children irritates the upper respiratory tract, resulting in reduced lung function and increased susceptibility to lung diseases. These include asthma and lower respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis. The report estimates that 200,000 to 1,000,000 asthmatic children annually have their condition worsened by passive smoking. Regarding lower respiratory tract infections, the CDC holds secondhand smoke exposure responsible for an estimated 150,000 to 300,000 new cases of bronchitis and pneumonia each year among U.S. children.

Ear Disease in Children

• Ear infections are another health risk of passive smoking for children. The EPA report concludes that in children secondhand smoke exposure increases the prevalence of fluid in the middle ear, a sign of chronic middle ear disease.