Sidestream Smoke Facts

Sidestream smoke is a term that refers to a method of smoking. The smoker exhales smoke from the side of their mouth, which causes it to slowly move at an angle. This is generally viewed as a type of secondhand smoke, because it can affect others in the immediate area by forcing them to inhale the smoke into their own lungs. Secondhand smoke is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smoking people.

Poisons

• Secondhand smoke, or sidestream smoke, contains over 4,000 different types of chemicals. Sixty of those chemicals are listed as carcinogens or chemicals that can possibly cause cancer, and there may be even more. Additionally they contain over 200 different chemicals that are poisonous to humans. This is especially important because secondhand smoke can hang in the air even after the cigarette is put out. The smoker inhales only half of the smoke in a cigarette, with the other half moving out and into the environment.

Carcinogen

• According to the United States Environment Protection Agency (EPA), secondhand smoke such as sidestream smoke is a Group A carcinogen, which means it can cause cancer. The EPA says that over 3,000 people who don't smoke die of lung cancer every caused by secondhand smoke. This type of smoke can also lead to bladder cancer, cervical cancer and nasal sinus cancer. In some cases the smoke can also cause emphysema or other serious health conditions.

Effects on Children

• Sidestream smoke and other types of secondhand smoke can cause certain problems in children. Mothers who smoke while pregnant or expose their unborn child to cigarette smoke are more likely to see their child born underweight or die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Nearly 300,000 children under the age of 18 months experience an infection every year caused by sidestream smoke and experience other health problems.

Other Effects

• Secondhand smoke, including sidestream smoke, is responsible for specific problems to smokers and non-smokers alike. The EPA states that at least 200,000 people have asthma worsen because of smoking and that more cases of asthma appear each year because of smoking. Secondhand smoke can also cause respiratory infections, cavities, irritation of the nose and eyes and ear infections, especially in children. Over 1 million children alone are treated for middle ear infections every year, which can be caused by secondhand smoke.

Warning

• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sidestream smoke is more harmful than mainstream smoke. They classify secondhand smoke as Environmental Tobacco Smoke or ETS, which means any type of smoke in the environment, not inhaled. Smokers inhale only a small portion of the carcinogens, while the rest hang in the air. According to the CDC, non-smokers inhale two to five times the amount of carcinogens that a smoker does, because smokers have part of those harmful toxins blocked by the filter on the cigarette.