Secondhand smoke is also known as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS)

   1 in 5 Americans will die from the effects of tobacco.

   The term secondhand smoke consist of two types of smoke:

Sidestream smoke & Mainstream smoke.  Mainstream smoke is the smoke exhaled by the smoker.  Sidestream smoke is the smoke released from the burning end of a cigarette.  Because this smoke is generated at lower temperatures and different conditions than mainstream smoke, it contains higher levels of the toxins than the mainstream smoke and the smoke inhaled by the smoker.

   Second hand smoke contain over 4,000 chemical compounds.  More than 50 of these chemicals are known carcinogens (cancer causing agents) and at least 250 of these chemicals are toxic.  The following is a short list and their common uses:

            Vinyl Chloride – A carcinogen – Used to make pipe

               Polonium-210 – A carcinogen – Radioactive material that is very toxic

                Benzene – A carcinogen – Found in gasoline

                Formaldehyde – A carcinogen – Used to embalm dead bodies

                Carbon Monoxide – A poisonous gas – Found in car exhaust

Hydrogen Cyanide – A poisonous gas – Used in chemical weapons and used in the gas chamber

Butane – A poisonous gas – Used in lighter fluid

Ammonia – A poisonous gas – Used in household cleaners

Toluene – A poisonous gas – Found in pain thinners

Chromium – A toxic metal – Used to make steel

Arsenic – A toxic metal – Used in pesticides and rat poison

Lead – A toxic metal – Once used in paint and then discontinued because of it’s toxic nature

Cadmium – A toxic metal – Used in making batteries

    Secondhand smoke has be designated as a known human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and various other agencies

  53,000 people die of secondhand smoke a year.  3,700 of these die from lung cancer, 37,000 die from heart disease, and 12,000 die from various other cancers linked to secondhand smoke. 

  Research has shown an association with exposure to secondhand smoke and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), asthma, bronchitis, and pneumonia is children.

  According to the surgeon general, there are NO SAFE LEVEL of exposure to secondhand smoke.

  Secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States.

  Most cigarettes in the U.S. contain 10 mg of nicotine, however, through inhaling, the smoker only takes in 1 to 2 mg of nicotine per cigarette.  Where does the rest go?

  Breathing secondhand smoke for only a short period of time (5 mins) causes immediate harmful effects on the body.