Health Effects
There is consensus among the international scientific community that second-hand smoke is a hazardous carcinogen and all involuntary exposure should be eliminated in workplaces, public places and in the home.
The scientific evidence is now indisputable: secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance. It is a serious health hazard that can lead to disease and premature death in children and non-smoking adults.
Second-hand smoke...
releases thousands of toxic chemicals into the air, over 50 of which are known to cause cancer, including: benzene, formaldehyde, cadmium and lead.
In Adults...
Exposure to second-hand smoke causes lung cancer, nasal sinus cancer, heart disease, chronic respiratory symptoms, and asthma induction and exacerbation.
Research also indicates a strong association between second-hand smoke and breast cancer, cervical cancer, stroke, and miscarriage.
Breathing second-hand smoke for even a short time can have immediate adverse effects, causing physical reactions linked to heart and stroke disease.
In Children...
Second-hand smoke is even more harmful because their lungs are still developing and more easily damaged.
Exposure has been proven to cause Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), fetal growth impairment, chronic respiratory symptoms, bronchitis, pneumonia, middle ear infections, asthma attacks and allergies.
Research also indicates exposure is associated with decreased lung function, exacerbation of cystic fibrosis, brain cancer and lymphomas and impairment of a child's ability to learn.
Studies & Reports
The following is a list of a few studies and reports we believe warrant consideration.
The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of The U.S. Surgeon General 2006.
A comprehensive scientific report, which concludes that there is no risk-free level of exposure to second-hand smoke and that even brief exposure can cause immediate harm. (US Department of Health and Human Services)
California Environmental Protection Agency's Air Resources Board declared Second-hand Smoke to be a Toxic Air Contaminant (TAC), September 2005
The Board unanimously found that tobacco smoke harms not only the smoker, but innocent bystanders as well. Second-hand smoke joins benzene, arsenic and diesel exhaust on the Toxic Air Contaminant list (TAC). (This report updates the findings of the 1997 report by the California EPA)
IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans, Volume 83: Tobacco Smoke and Involuntary Smoking, 2002.
A working group from 12 countries reviewed over 50 major studies and found, among other alarming associations, an increased risk of lung cancer in non-smoking spouses of smokers in the order of 20% for women and 30% for men. (International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARCA))
Ontario Tobacco Research Unit. Protection from Secondhand Tobacco Smoke in Ontario: A Review of the Evidence Regarding Best Practices, 2001
This report provides a summary of evidence to date on the health risks of exposure to second-hand smoke.
National Toxicology Program - 9th Report on Carcinogens, 2000
The National Institute of Health (NIH) formally listed second-hand smoke as a known human carcinogen. (US Department of Health and Human Services)
