Secondhand Smoke: Risks, Health Effects & Exposure

Secondhand smoking is when non-smokers inhale smoke from other people's cigarettes, cigars or pipes. According to the American Cancer Society, non-smokers who breathe secondhand smoke "take in nicotine and other toxic chemicals just like smokers do."

Significance

• The Environmental Protection Agency has classified secondhand smoke as a cancer-causing substance.

Size

• In the United States, 60 percent of children and 30 percent of indoor workers are exposed to secondhand smoke according to a report issued in 2006 by the U.S. Surgeon General.

Effects

• Secondhand smoking causes chronic coughing, lung damage and an increased risk of lung cancer according to a study in the Internet Journal of Pulmonary Medicine.

Warning

• According to the EPA, secondhand smoke can "cause asthma in children who have not previously exhibited symptoms."

Prevention/Solution

• Federal, state and local governments can "protect children from tobacco-caused diseases and addiction" by banning smoking in public places according to the American Cancer Society.