Second Hand Smoke
Second Hand Smoke
Secondhand smoke comes from lit cigarettes and cigars. It also comes from smoke breathed out by smokers. When children breathe secondhand smoke, it is like they are smoking, too.Secondhand smoke is made of thousands of chemicals. Many are poisons that stay in your body. What do these poisons do? The U.S. Surgeon General asked scientists to find out. They found that secondhand smoke harms everyone, especially children.
Facts
- “Secondhand smoke” is the combination of gases and small particles from lighting cigarettes, pipes, or cigars, and the smoke that is exhaled from someone smoking
- Of the thousands of chemicals and toxins in secondhand smoke, more than 250 are known to be harmful and 69 cause cancer.
- When children are exposed to secondhand smoke, they are more susceptible to ear infections, asthma attacks, respiratory problems, and sudden infant death syndrome. Create handmade cards encouraging smokers to quit. Sign up for Quitters Always Win.
- Secondhand smoke is responsible for hundreds of thousands of new cases of pneumonia and bronchitis in babies 18 months and younger every year.
- Secondhand smoke causes an estimated 3,400 lung cancer deaths each year in the US in those who do not smoke and increases their risk of lung cancer by 20 to 30%.