Secondhand Smoke Information

The scientific evidence on the health risks associated with exposure to secondhand smoke is clear, convincing, and overwhelming. Secondhand smoke (also referred to as involuntary smoking, environmental tobacco smoke, and passive smoking) is a known cause of lung cancer, heart disease, low birth-weight births, and chronic lung ailments such as bronchitis (particularly in children), as well as other health problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 50,000 Americans die each year from lung cancer and heart disease attributable to secondhand smoke exposure.

In 1993, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report that classified secondhand smoke as a group A carcinogen – a known cause of cancer.

Released in 2006, The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General documents the serious and deadly health effects of involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke.

1. Secondhand smoke causes premature death and disease in children and in adults who do not smoke.


2. Children exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory infections, ear problems, and more severe asthma. Smoking by parents causes respiratory symptoms and slows lung growth in their children.


3. Exposure of adults to secondhand smoke has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and causes coronary heart disease and lung cancer.


4. The scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.


5. Many millions of Americans, both children and adults, are still exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes and workplaces despite substantial progress in tobacco control.


6. Eliminating smoking in indoor spaces fully protects nonsmokers from exposure to secondhand smoke. Separating smokers from nonsmokers, cleaning the air, and ventilating buildings cannot eliminate exposures of nonsmokers to secondhand smoke.

FACTS . . .

• Tobacco smoke has more than 4,700 chemical compounds. At least 50 are known to cause cancer in humans or animals.

• Exposure to secondhand smoke has been estimated to result in the deaths of about 50,000 adult non-smokers each year in the United States and over one million illnesses in children.

• There is NO SAFE LEVEL of exposure to a cancer-causing substance.

• In the workplace, workers exposed to secondhand smoke are 34 percent more likely to get lung cancer. Those who work in smoking-allowed bars and restaurants are 50 percent more likely to get lung cancer than the general public.

RESTAURANT INFORMATION

• Smoke-filled rooms, such as restaurant dining rooms, can have six times the air pollution as a busy highway.

• Having separate smoking and non-smoking sections does not eliminate the exposure to secondhand smoke.

• In cities that have passed smoke-free restaurant ordinances, business has not been hurt. In many cases, it has resulted in more business. Remember, three-fourths of adults in America do not smoke.

STATEWIDE LAW PROJECT

The Smoke-Free Environments Law Project (SFELP) at www.tcsg.org, is a statewide project which provides information, consultation and advice for businesses, local units of government, and individuals in Michigan on policies and practices to protect employees and the general public from the harmful effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and to address the legal requirements and liability issues related to ETS.

SMOKE-FREE HOMES

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has developed and promoted a Smoke-Free Home Pledge to encourage families to protect their children from secondhand smoke. By taking the pledge, you choose not to smoke in your home and do not permit others to do so. If you must smoke, you choose to smoke outside. Families can order the Kit by calling the Smoke-Free Home Pledge Hotline at 1-800-513-1157. A Kit will be mailed out to you, which includes: Tips on Keeping your Home Smoke-Free, Smoke-Free Home Magnet, and Smoke-Free Home Certificate. Families can also take the pledge online at www.epa.gov/smokefree/pledge.