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What is Secondhand Smoke? |
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The debate is over. The science is clear: secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance, but a serious health hazard.
-Richard Carmona, U.S. Surgeon General June 27, 2006
Secondhand smoke is a combination of the smoke in the air from a burning cigarette, cigar, or pipe and the smoke exhaled by a person who is smoking. Secondhand smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, more than 60 of which are known to cause cancer. Exposure to secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in America.
In Maine, seven people die from tobacco use every day, one of whom is a nonsmoker exposed to secondhand smoke.
The Partnership for a Tobacco-Free Maine, 2008.
Breathing secondhand smoke has immediate harmful effects on the cardiovascular system that can increase the risk of a heart attack. People who already have heart disease are at especially high risk and should take special precautions to avoid even brief exposures.
Secondhand smoke can cause sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory infections, ear problems, and more frequent and severe asthma attacks in children.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Many major organizations including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Environmental Protection Agency, the World Health Organization, the U.S. Surgeon General, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society recognize secondhand smoke as a cancer-causing chemical.