Description

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is the combination of two forms of smoke produced by burning tobacco products: sidestream smoke, or smoke that is given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar, and mainstream smoke, or the smoke that is exhaled by the smoker. The exposure of nonsmokers to ETS is also referred to as secondhand smoking, passive smoking and involuntary smoking.

There are more than 2,500 identified chemicals present in tobacco smoke and ETS, and at least 250 of these have been found to be toxic or cause cancer. These include nicotine, cadmium, formaldehyde, benzene, benzo[a]pyrene, lead, nitrosamines and ammonia.

Nonsmokers (including developing fetuses) exposed to ETS absorb nicotine and other compounds just as smokers do, and the greater the exposure to ETS, the greater the level of these harmful compounds in the body.

Health Effects

Immediate Health Effects

If SWALLOWED, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is Not Available
If ABSORBED THROUGH SKIN, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is Not Available
If INHALED (SNIFFED OR BREATHED IN), environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is Not Available

Longterm or Delayed Health Effects

Allergen
Asthma Trigger
Cancer. Exposure to secondhand smoke can cause lung cancer and cancer in the nasal sinuses. It may possibly increase the risk of breast, cervical, and bladder cancers as well. Exposure during childhood may be associated with development of cancer during adulthood.

Other

Eye, nose, and respiratory irritation, nasal congestion, sore throat, hoarseness, nausea. Secondhand smoke can inflame airways and weaken the lung’s defenses against infection. It can also worsen symptoms in people with asthma, chronic bronchitis and allergies. Tobacco smoke may especially irritate the eyes of contact lens wearers.
Children of parents who smoke in the home are more likely to have breathing difficulties, respiratory infections, asthma and asthma attacks, diminished pulmonary function, bronchitis, pneumonia, eye and nose irritation, and infections in the middle ear. In addition, ETS exposure can increase the chances that a child will develop lung cancer, heart disease and cataracts later in life.
Exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke increases the risk of heart disease.
Birth defects. Tobacco smoke components, including nicotine, can cross the placenta, and mothers that smoke or are exposed to secondhand smoke during pregnancy are more likely to give birth to small babies with low birth weight. Other possible adverse effects may include an increased risk of spontaneous abortion, preterm delivery, and effects on learning and behavior in children.
Infants whose mothers smoke are at an increased risk of dying of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the major cause of death in infants between the ages of 1 month and 1 year. Infants whose mothers smoked during pregnancy are more likely to experience wheezing during the first year of life.

How Exposures Occur

At Home

Children can breathe in secondhand tobacco smoke if parents or others smoke inside the home.

In Public Spaces

Children can be exposed to secondhand smoke in public places such as restaurants, bars, and outdoor sporting events.

In the Womb

Children can be exposed to tobacco smoke if the mother smokes or if she is exposed to secondhand smoke during pregnancy.

House Dust

Nicotine levels in house dust in the homes of smokers is higher than that in homes of nonsmokers. The level of other smoke-related chemicals may also be higher. Children could inhale or ingest this dust.

Significant Statistics

By 2020, tobacco-related illnesses are expected to kill more than eight million people worldwide and exceed infectious disease as the world’s leading cause of morbidity and mortality.

Holzman, David C. “Stopping the Scourge: Tobacco Control Goes Global,” Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 109, No. 4 (April 2001).http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2001/109-4/spheres.html

Approximately 43 percent of U.S. children ages 2 months to 11 years live in homes with at least one smoker, based on data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted from 1988 to 1991. It is estimated that more than half of U.S. youth are exposed to ETS, and approximately 9 to 12 million children ages six and younger are exposed to ETS in their homes.

“Environmental Tobacco Smoke: Known to be a Human Carcinogen.” Eleventh Report on Carcinogens. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Toxicology Program.. http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/eleventh/profiles/s176toba.pdf.

Almost 60% of children age 3-11 years, almost 22 million children, are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke.

The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Office of the Surgeon General. June 27, 2006. http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/factsheets/factsheet6.html.

Environmental tobacco smoke causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths in non-smokers every year.

Health Effects of Exposure to Secondhand Smoke. US Environmental Protection Agency. February 12, 2010. http://www.epa.gov/smokefree/healtheffects.html#Serious Health Risks to Children.

Environmental tobacco smoke causes 7,500 to 15,000 hospitalizations for children with respiratory infections each year.

Smoke-free Homes and Cars Program. US Environmental Protection Agency. February 12, 2010. http://www.epa.gov/smokefree/.

Solutions

How to detect environmental tobacco smoke (ETS)

Cigarette smoke can be detected by its odor.

How to minimize exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS)

Eliminate tobacco smoke from your home, especially if you have small children or are pregnant. Do not smoke inside your home or permit others to do so; any smoking should be done outside.

Ventilation systems and air purifiers/filters cannot filter and circulate air well enough to eliminate secondhand smoke.

Blowing smoke away from children, going into another room to smoke, or opening a window may help reduce children’s exposure but will not fully protect them from the dangers of secondhand smoke.

A child’s momentary absence from a room is not enough to protect them if someone has smoked there.

As a rule of thumb, treat smoking in a room as an insecticide application: ventilate by opening windows and using fans for hours before readmitting children.
Quit Smoking. Non-smoking nicotine products, such as patches, gum, inhalers, and nasal spray, can curb nicotine cravings without exposing yourself, your children and others to harmful substances in tobacco smoke.

For tips on quitting, see Clearing the Air: Quit Smoking Today, published by the National Cancer Institute.
Avoid taking children where smoking is permitted, especially if the concentration of smoke may be high there, such as in smaller enclosed spaces with a number of people smoking and with little or no ventilation.
Do not smoke in your car. The high concentration of smoke in a small, closed compartment substantially increases the exposure to other passengers.
After returning home from a smoky place, don’t keep smoke-filled clothes in the same room as children.

Alternatives

For More information

Books, articles, factsheets and reports

Health Effects of Exposure to Secondhand Smoke. US Environmental Protection Agency. February 12, 2010. http://www.epa.gov/smokefree/healtheffects.html#Serious Health Risks to Children.

Other government agencies

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Office on Smoking and Health
Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Mail Stop K-50
4770 Buford Highway NE
Atlanta, GA 30341
800-CDC-1311

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/

National Cancer Institute

Building 31, Room 10A24
Bethesda, MD 20892
800-4-CANCER

http://www.cancer.gov

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

P.O. Box 37133
Washington DC 20013-7133
Indoor Air Quality Hotline: 800-438-4318

http://www.epa.gov/iaq

http://www.epa.gov/smokefree/