What are the dangers of exposing adults and children to cigarette smoke?
Secondhand smoke is the smoke inhaled from the lungs of smokers and the smoke that comes from the burning end of a cigarette, cigar, or pipe. It contains about 4,000 chemicals, including nicotine, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and other cancer-causing agents. It is proven to cause cancer in humans. Among people who do not smoke, secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths, 37,000 cardiovascular deaths, and 13,000 deaths from other cancers. Secondhand smoke is particularly dangerous to children. It can increase the risk of serious respiratory disease during the first two years of a child’s life. Children exposed to environmental tobacco smoke have much higher rates of lung diseases, including bronchitis and pneumonia. Furthermore, children of parents who smoke are more likely to develop asthma, have more asthma attacks, have more ear infections, and have a slower rate of growth in lung function.
