You can't breathe easy if there's a smoker in your life. Secondhand smoke, debated as a possible health hazard for years, definitely poses dangers for nearby nonsmokers, according to the National Cancer Institute. Even short-term exposure can harm the hearts and lungs of people in a smoky room--and poses particular risks for children.
Definition
You can be exposed to secondhand smoke in two ways: "Sidestream" smoke drifts from the end of someone's cigarette, pipe or cigar, while "mainstream" smoke can blow toward you when the smoker exhales. According to a National Cancer Institute fact sheet, researchers gauge the impact of secondhand smoke by testing the air for nicotine and other components, as well as testing nonsmokers' blood. Tobacco smoke contains at least 250 harmful chemicals, ranging from arsenic to cadmium to vinyl chloride.
Health Risks
Secondhand smoke causes heart disease and increases the risk for a heart attack, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Secondhand smoke also causes lung cancer in nonsmokers, and the more smoke you are exposed to, the greater the risk, says the CDC. According to the American Lung Association, secondhand smoke causes about 3,400 lung cancer deaths and 22,700 to 69,600 heart-disease deaths every year.
Secondhand Smoke and Kids
Babies and children, who are still growing and developing, face special risks from secondhand smoke, according to the National Cancer Institute. They are more likely to develop lung problems, including bronchitis, pneumonia and asthma, as well as ear infections. Babies whose mothers smoked during pregnancy or after birth are at greater risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Workplace Hazards
If you work in a smoky place--especially a bar or restaurant--secondhand smoke may cause health problems, according to the American Lung Association. Like nonsmokers who breathe secondhand smoke at home, those exposed at work have a 20- to 30-percent greater chance of developing lung cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When employees quit smoking, they take fewer sick days, the American Lung Association reports.
Prevention
"There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke," according to the National Cancer Institute, so health officials' goal is to protect nonsmokers by banning smoking indoors. Many states and municipalities have enacted smoking bans for public buildings. The trend increasingly is for prohibitions on smoking in private workplaces as well, including bars and restaurants.
