Currently, 21 percent of adults over the age of 18 are smokers, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It's no secret that smoking releases harmful contaminants into the air, and it isn't only the smokers who the contaminants are affecting. In fact, secondhand smoke contains the same cancer-causing toxins, which means you could be a victim without ever touching a cigarette in your life. Avoid exposure to preserve your lungs.
Toxins
When a stranger lights up near you, he is polluting the air with a variety of toxins and chemicals that contaminate the air around you. Toxins like benzene, carbon monoxide, arsenic, formaldehyde, cyanide, lead, nickel and chromium pollute the smoker's lungs and your lungs as well, points out the Mayo Clinic.
Misconceptions
You might think that as long as you never put your mouth on a cigarette, you're free of the health concerns that come along with smoking tobacco. Unfortunately, the American Cancer Society (ACS) states otherwise. Secondhand smoke is the cause of 46,000 heart disease deaths and 3,400 lung cancer deaths per year in the United States. Not smoking is simply not enough to protect yourself from airborne contaminants.
Health Effects
Not only can lung cancer and health disease deaths be attributed to breathing in the smoking contaminants from a stranger's cigarette, but secondhand smoke can also lead to other health problems and concerns. Secondhand smoke can reduce a baby's birth weight when an expectant mother is continually exposed. It can be linked to breast cancer, according to the ACS, and no safe level of secondhand smoke is acceptable.
Laws and Regulations
Most states now have laws in place that prohibit smoking in public places, which makes it easier to avoid the contaminants in the air. In June 2009, President Obama signed a bill allowing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to more heavily regulate the usage and selling of cigarettes. If you think someone is smoking illegally, contact your state's health department to learn more about your state's secondhand smoking laws.
Strategies
To avoid smoking contaminants, simply not smoking is not enough. Ban smoking from your home, and only patronize establishments that don't allow smoking inside. Educate your children about smoking and secondhand smoke, and ensure that friends' homes and cars are smoke free before you allow your children to play, suggests the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). By being educated and vigilant, you can prevent smoking contaminants from polluting your lungs and the lungs of your family.
