Prevention of Tobacco Use

Second-Hand Smoke

Second-hand smoke contains higher concentrations of toxic chemicals than inhaled smoke. In fact, second-hand smoke has at least twice the nicotine and tar as the smoke inhaled by the smoker.

Those most greatly affected by second-hand smoke are children. Children have a higher metabolism and can absorb higher amounts of smoke than adults. The effects can last a lifetime.

No ventilation system can effectively remove second-hand smoke from your home or car. Dangerous smoke particles can settle on food, clothes, furniture, skin and many other surfaces long after the smoke can no longer be seen or smelled.

There is only one way to eliminate second-hand smoke from indoor air: remove the source.

What is Second-Hand Smoke?

Health Risks of Second-Hand Smoke

Pregnancy, Smoking and Second-Hand Smoke

Second-Hand Smoke and Children

Steps to Protect Your Family from Second-Hand Smoke

What is Second-Hand Smoke?

Second-hand smoke is a mixture of the smoke exhaled by a smoker and the smoke that comes from the lit end of tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars and pipes. Two thirds of smoke from a cigarette is not inhaled by the smoker, but enters the air around the smoker.

There are over 4000 chemical compounds in second-hand smoke of which 50 are known to cause cancer.

Second-hand smoke has more harmful chemicals than smoke inhaled directly by a smoker because it does not pass through a filter. It contains:

Up to 3 times the amount of tar
Up to 5 times the amount of carbon monoxide
Up to 6 times the amount of nicotine

Health Risks of Second-Hand Smoke

Second-hand smoke exposure causes disease and death in both smokers and healthy non-smokers. It is the third leading preventable cause of death in Canada, killing approximately 4,700 Canadians each year. Exposure to second-hand smoke can cause:

Lung cancer
Nasal sinus cancer
Heart disease
Stroke
Heart attacks

Exposure to second-hand smoke is also linked to a variety of other cancers such as cervical, brain, bladder, and thyroid cancers.

There is no safe level of second-hand smoke exposure.

Pregnancy, Smoking and Second-Hand Smoke

When a woman is pregnant, toxins in second-hand smoke can pass through her bloodstream into the bloodstream of her unborn baby and may slow the growth and affect the development of the fetus.

Babies of women who smoke or are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke during pregnancy are at higher risk for:

Miscarriage
Premature birth
Still birth
Low birth weight
Birth defects
Slower development

Nicotine and other dangerous chemicals in smoke can actually be found in the breast milk of mothers who smoke or the mothers who live with someone who smokes.

For more information on the risks of smoking during pregnancy, visit Motherisk.

Second-Hand Smoke and Children

Children are especially vulnerable to second-hand smoke because their lungs and respiratory system are still developing.

Children who are exposed to second-hand smoke are at greater risk of developing:

Colds and pneumonia
Bronchitis
Asthma
Ear infections
An effect on intellectual development and behaviour
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Children with asthma who are exposed to second-hand smoke have more attacks and these attacks can be more severe.

Steps to Protect Your Family from Second-Hand Smoke

There are a number of things you can do to protect your family from the health dangers of second-hand smoke:

Make your home and car 100% smoke-free. Encourage your family and friends to do the same.
If you smoke, don't smoke indoors, try to quit or avoid exposing others to your smoke.
It's important that parents and adults are strong role-models for children � avoid smoking in their presence
Avoid taking children to places where they would be exposed to second-hand smoke
Be sure to ask about the smoking policy of any private place that you drop your children off at, such as home music lessons, babysitters, a friend's home etc.
Avoid smoking or exposing yourself to second-hand smoke if you are pregnant, as it may be harmful to the fetus
Tell elected officials that you support smoke-free public places
Encourage your family and friends to quit smoking

There is no safe level of second-hand smoke exposure.