Bureau of Prevention Services,

Alcohol, Tobacco & Other Drug Prevention

Public Health

• Exposure to secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in America, killing approximately 50,000 people every year. (Giantz/Parmley, AHA Circulation Vol. 83, No. 1, 1991)

Child Health

• Children exposed to secondhand smoke have an increased risk of contracting serious respiratory track infections such as bronchitis, pneumonia, and asthma. Annually, between 150,000 and 300,000 infants and young children develop such infections due to secondhand smoke, with 7,500 to 15,000 requiring hospitalization. (US Environmental Protection Agency, Respiratory Health Effect of Passive Smoking: Lung Cancer and Other Disorders, 1993)

• Secondhand smoke doubles an infant's risk of dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). (US Dept. of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, It's Time to Stop Being a Passive Victim, 1993)

• In New Hampshire, about half of middle school students and three-fourths of high school students reported exposure to secondhand smoke within the previous week. Close to 40% live with someone who smokes. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Tobacco Surveillance - United States, 2001)

• Children exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to have chronic middle ear infections. Ear infections resulting from secondhand smoke exposure are responsible for 700,000 to 1.6 million additional doctor visits in the U.S. every year. (Health Effects of Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke, The Report of the California Environmental Protection Agency, NIH, 1999)

The Environment

• The Environmental Protection Agency has classified secondhand smoke as a "Group A" carcinogen — the most dangerous category of cancer-causing agents. (EPA Report, Respiratory Health Effects of Passive Smoking, 1992)

• Smoke from the burning end of a cigarette contains over 4,000 chemicals and 40 carcinogens, including formaldehyde, cyanide, arsenic, carbon monoxide, methane, and benzene. The smoker and anyone else nearby inhales these chemicals. (EPA Indoor Air Facts, No. 5, 1989)

Resources

• Print the Facts about Secondhand Smoke
• Secondhand Smoke Complaint Form

Visit the DHHS Tobacco Prevention & Control Program