ETS smoking is the clinical term for passive smoking, more commonly thought of as receiving second hand smoke. It occurs when a smoker is in your proximity and you involuntarily inhale the fumes produced from a cigarette, cigar or pipe. The most common areas that you may encounter ETS are in public places, although smoking in malls, restaurants, bars and clubs is now banned in many areas. Just as smoking harms the smoker, ETS may present many adverse health effects to the nonsmoker.
Definition
ETS stands for environmental tobacco smoke. The National Cancer Institute defines environmental tobacco smoke as a two-fold combination that includes side stream smoke produced from the burning of tobacco, and mainstream smoke released when the smoker exhales.
Toxins
ETS may contain up to 4,000 chemicals, of which at least 50 are known carcinogens. More than 200 other chemicals found in secondhand smoke are associated with adverse health effects. These include arsenic, benzene, beryllium, cadmium.
Cancer Risk
According to the 11th edition of the "Report on Carcinogens" compiled by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the National Toxicology Program, arsenic is a naturally occurring metal toxin that epidemiological studies have shown to be associated with an increased risk of cancers involving the lungs, bladder, kidneys and blood. Benzene, a derivative of crude oil, is also a known carcinogen with a specific link to an increased risk of myelocytic leukemia. The "Report on Carcinogens" also states that epidemiological studies have shown that exposure to beryllium compounds is linked to an increased risk of lung cancer in humans, and animal studies have shown that inhalation of beryllium compounds increases the incidence of lung cancer in rats and mice. Cadmium is a highly toxic metal that was promoted from the status of "reasonably anticipated" to be a human carcinogen to known to be a human carcinogen in the year 2000.
Other Health Effects
According to a paper presented by Laura Alderson and published in the April 2005 issue of "Environmental Health Perspectives," the results of a collaborative study between U.S. and Chinese researchers show that ETS smoking significantly decreases urinary levels of estrogen metabolites in women, which negatively affects ovulation and the ability to conceive.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that ETS is particularly harmful to infants and young. The agency estimates that between 150,000 and 300,000 cases of pediatric respiratory tract infections, including bronchitis and pneumonia, are caused by ETS each year. In addition, ETS exposure is attributed to a higher incidence of ear infections and blamed for worsening symptoms in children with asthma.
Prevention/Solution
In the U.S., many state and local governments have issued bans on smoking in public places, while federal laws prohibit smoking on buses, trains and airplanes. On an international level, many countries prohibit smoking in the workplace, as well as public restaurants and bars.
References
- National Cancer Institute: Secondhand Smoke
- "Report on Carcinogens. Eleventh Edition"; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Toxicology Program; 2005
- Environmental Health Perspectives; ETS and Conception: Smoking Out a Mechanism of Action; Laura Alderson; April 2005
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Respiratory Health Effects of Passive Smoking
