Working in partnership for the people of Herefordshire
- Secondhand smoke is a killer. Scientific evidence shows that there is no safe level of exposure
- Secondhand smoke increases the risk in non-smokers of lung cancer by 24% and heart disease by 25%
- Just 30 minutes exposure is enough to reduce coronary blood flow
- Secondhand smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals in the form of particles and gases—more than 50 are carcinogens
- Some groups of people, for example bar staff, are heavily exposed to secondhand smoke in their workplace
- Tar is known to cause both cancer and lung damage
- Carbon monoxide is a gas found in car exhaust fumes
- Benzene is found in petrol fumes and causes leukaemia
- Ethanol is used in anti-freeze
- Ammonia is used in cleaning products
- Formaldehyde is an embalming fluid
- Hydrogen cyanide is an industrial pollutant
- Arsenic is effectively rat poison
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) is found in diesel exhaust
Secondhand smoke
Health risks of secondhand smoke
In reviewing the evidence of the health risks from secondhand smoke, the Government’s independent Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health (SCOTH) concluded that exposure to secondhand smoke causes a range of serious medical conditions, including:
- lung cancer
- heart disease
- asthma attacks
- childhood respiratory disease
- sudden infant death syndrome
- reduced lung function
Tobacco smoke is a known human carcinogen.
What is secondhand smoke?
Secondhand smoke is simply other people’s tobacco smoke and is also known as passive smoke or ‘environmental’ tobacco smoke.
Secondhand smoke consists of side stream smoke from the burning tip of the cigarette, and mainstream smoke exhaled by the smoker.
Side stream smoke typically makes up nearly 85% of the smoke in a smoky environment. This type of smoke contains a much higher concentration of toxins, such as hydrogen cyanide, ammonia, carbon monoxide and acrolein, than mainstream smoke.
Secondhand smoke contains a cocktail of over 4,000 different chemicals, many of which are toxic and harmful including more than 50 known carcinogens such as benzo(a)pyrene, chromium, vinyl chloride, and benzene.