Individuals with lung or heart health problems are sensitive to airborne pollution, which includes pipe, cigar and cigarette smoke. They may suffer an increase in the symptoms of their conditions after inhaling smoke, especially if they are children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, anyone who is exposed to secondhand or passive smoke, however briefly, experiences an elevated risk for serious heart and lung diseases. Pregnant women who are exposed to secondhand smoking have additional concerns for the health of their unborn babies.
Respiratory Stress
Tobacco users pollute both indoor and outdoor environments with secondhand smoke. The chemicals and particulates in cigarette smoke damage the lungs and airways, and adversely affect the skin, nose and throat---body parts that assist in respiration.
The Office of the Surgeon General website reports that first- and secondhand smoke cause respiratory stress. People with asthma, chronic bronchitis and allergic conditions can all experience more severe attacks of their symptoms after contact with smoke.
Cardiovascular Disease
The Office of the Surgeon General website reports that secondhand smoke causes the same cardiovascular changes in nonsmokers that occur in tobacco users. Five hours or more of contact with cigarette smoke in a day affects blood cholesterol and promotes atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.
Even minimal exposure creates stickier blood platelets in nonsmokers. Combined with restricted arterial volume, this increases the chance of heart attack. The CDC points out that, over time, secondhand smoke causes chronic coronary heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States.
Infant Mortality
Tobacco use and inhalation of secondhand cigarette smoke by pregnant women increase the likelihood of preterm delivery and low-birth-weight babies. Secondary smoke exposure in children ages 1 to 12 months is also recognized as a cause of sudden infant death syndrome.
The Department of Health and Human Services reports that SIDS risk doubles for babies who ingest smoke. SIDS and low birth weight are leading causes of infant mortality in the U.S.
Cancer
Secondhand smoke causes lung cancer in adults who are not tobacco users, according to the CDC, which attributes 3,000 annual deaths to this condition among nonsmokers. The risk for developing lung cancer rises with the length of time nonsmokers are exposed to smoke as well as the amount of their exposure. The risk for death once carcinogenesis has taken hold is also high, because most cases of lung cancer are fatal. According to the National Cancer Institute, secondhand smoke may give rise to cancers in other areas of the body.
