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\nSecondhand smoke is the combination of smoke from the burning end of a cigarette and the smoke breathed out by smokers. Secondhand smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals. Hundreds are toxic and about 70 can cause cancer.1,2,3,4 Secondhand smoke exposure occurs when people who do not smoke breathe in smoke exhaled by people who smoke or from burning tobacco products.
\nSince the 1964 Surgeon General\u2019s Report, 2.5 million adults who do not smoke have died from health problems caused by secondhand smoke exposure.5 There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke; even brief exposure can be harmful to both adults and children.1, 2,6
\nEveryone deserves a fair and just opportunity to breathe smokefree air and be as healthy as possible. Exposure to secondhand smoke has declined in the U.S., but progress has not been the same for everyone. Secondhand smoke exposure is more common among children ages 3 to 11 years, non-Hispanic Black Americans, people living below the poverty level, and people who rent housing.3 There is still work to do to ensure we achieve smokefree air for all.
\nComprehensive smokefree policies and laws in all workplaces and public places \u2013 without exception \u2013 and adoption of smokefree rules for homes and vehicles are the only way to fully protect people from secondhand smoke exposure,.1,2,7 Comprehensive smokefree laws and policies can also help people who smoke quit and can help keep young people from starting to smoke.3,4,8
\nHealth Consequences Causally Linked to Exposure to Secondhand Smoke
\n \nFor adults who do not smoke, exposure to secondhand smoke has immediate harmful effects on the heart and blood vessels and can cause coronary heart disease and stroke.1,3,6
\nFor adults who do not smoke, exposure to secondhand smoke has immediate harmful effects on blood and blood vessels and can increase the risk of heart attack.1,2,3
\nPeople who already have heart disease are at especially high risk of suffering the harmful effects from breathing secondhand smoke and should take special precautions to avoid even brief exposures.1
\nFor adults who never smoked, exposure to secondhand smoke can cause lung cancer.1
\nSecondhand smoke can cause serious health problems in infants.1,
\nInfants exposed to secondhand smoke after birth are at greater risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).1,2,3
\nParents can help protect their babies from SIDS by taking the following three actions:11
\nSecondhand smoke can cause serious health problems in children.1,2,3
\nParents can help protect their children from secondhand smoke by taking the following actions:12
\nFor Further Information
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Office on Smoking and Health
E-mail: tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov
Phone: 1-800-CDC-INFO
Media Inquiries: Contact CDC\u2019s Office on Smoking and Health press line at 770-488-5493.
\n1 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking\u201450 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014 [accessed 2021 Apr 20].
\n2 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A Report of the Surgeon General: How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: What It Means to You. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2010 [accessed 2021 Apr 20].
\n3 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006 [accessed 2021 Apr 20].
\n4 Huang J, King BA, Babb SD, Xu X, Hallett C, Hopkins M. Sociodemographic Disparities in Local Smoke-Free Law Coverage in 10 States. American Journal of Public Health 2015;105(9):1806\u201313 [accessed 2021 Apr 20].
\n5 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Let\u2019s Make the Next Generation Tobacco-Free: Your Guide to the 50th Anniversary Surgeon General\u2019s Report on Smoking and Health. [PDF\u2013795 KB] Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014 [accessed 2021 Apr 20].
\n6 Institute of Medicine Committee on Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Acute Coronary Events. Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Cardiovascular Effects: Making Sense of the Evidence. Washington, D.C., National Academies Press 2010 [accessed 2021 Apr 20].
\n7 National Toxicology Program. Report on Carcinogens, Fourteenth Edition. Research Triangle Park (NC): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, 2016 [accessed 2021 Apr 20].
\n8 Tsai J, Homa DM, Gentzke AS, Mahoney M et al. Exposure to Secondhand Smoke Among Nonsmokers\u2014United States, 1988-2014. MMWR 2018;67(48): 1342-46 [accessed 2021 Apr 20].
\n9 American Academy of Pediatrics, Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The Changing Concept of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Diagnostic Coding Shifts; Controversies Regarding the Sleeping Environment; and New Variables to Consider in Reducing Risk. Pediatrics 2005;116(5):1245\u201355 [accessed 2021 Apr 20].
\n10 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2004 [accessed 2021 Apr 20].
\n11 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sudden Unexpected Infant Death and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Parents and Caregivers. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Reproductive Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion [accessed 2021 Apr 20].
\n12 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: What It Means to You. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2010 [accessed 2021 Apr 20].
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