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What Is CancerWhat is Second Hand Smoke?

Second hand smoke is also called: environmental tobacco smoke, passive smoke, and involuntary smoke.

Second hand smoke is the combination of two types of smoke; sidestream smoke, which comes from the burning end of a cigarette or cigar and mainstream smoke, the smoke exhaled from the lungs after smoking. (1)

People may be exposed to second hand smoke from cigarettes, cigars, pipes, or other tobacco products. (2,3)

Second hand smoke is known as a carcinogen (causes cancer). (1)

Cancer and AI-ANAmerican Indian and Alaska Natives and Second Hand SmokeThere is not any published data that show rates of disease or death due to exposure to second hand smoke for specific racial and ethnic groups. However, National Cancer Institute data, shows that people of color have high rates of exposure to second hand smoke. Latinos and American Indians have the highest rates of occupational exposure to second hand smoke. (1, 3) American Indians have the highest smoking rates of any racial or ethnic group; taking this into consideration, both smoking and non-smoking American Indians could have high rates of exposure to second hand smoke. AI/AN people have the highest rates of exposure within the home (25.1%) and the second highest exposure to second hand smoke in the workplace (21.3%). Research has indicated that American Indian women are 50% more likely to be exposed to second hand smoke in the home than white women. (9)Lung CancerEffects on Babies and ChildrenBabies and young children are especially affected by the toxic effects of second hand smoke because their bodies are developing and growing.Unborn babies and mothers:Mothers who smoke while pregnant often have complications during pregnancy and a 30% higher chance of premature birth than those of non-smoking mothers. Unborn babies exposed to second hand smoke are often born with weaker lungs and low birth weight. This leads to an increase in risk for serious health problems in life. Unlike adults, unborn babies and infants do not have the option of avoiding second hand smoke.Babies exposed to second hand smoke before birth have up to a 3 times higher risk of dying of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.Children:Over a three-year period in the late 1990s to early 2000s, it was determined that 58% of children in the age group of 3-19 suffered exposure to second hand smoke. Unlike adults, children usually do not have the option to avoid second hand smoke. As exposure continues into childhood it increases a child's risk of developing bronchitis, pneumonia, ear infections, severe asthma, respiratory symptoms, and slowed lung growth. Around 300,000 yearly cases of bronchitis and pneumonia in children age 18 months and under are attributed to exposure to second hand smoke.Signs of Lung CancerHealth ConsequencesSecond hand smoke causes many negative health consequences to non-smoking adults and children. Second hand smoke is known to kill 65,000 non-smokers in the United States each year. (14) A person that has had long term exposure to second hand smoke has a 20-30% higher chance of developing lung cancer than the average non-smoker. (5, 6) Around 3,000 lung cancer deaths occur each year in people who have never smoked, yet have had exposure to second hand smoke. (2, 6)Second hand smoke has also been implicated in a variety of other cancers including leukemia, lymphoma, breast, nasopharyngeal, and brain tumors in children. (2, 5) Researchers are still working to determine a link between second hand smoke and other cancers. It is however clear that there is no safe level of smoke exposure. (4)Second hand smoke has both immediate and long-term effects on the heart and lungs. Being exposed to second hand smoke immediately irritates the airways and does damage to the blood vessel lining. (5, 6)Daily exposure to second hand smoke is believed to increase a person's chance of developing heart disease by 20-30% and accounts for approximately 46,000 deaths due to heart disease each year. (5,8) When exposed to another person's smoking, a non-smoker with a respiratory disease may suffer from coughing, shortness of breath, and an increase in phlegm. Asthma or other respiratory disease symptoms may worsen. (6) One million children in the United States have asthma that worsens each year because of their exposure to second hand smoke.Treatment-Survival-SupportHarmful ChemicalsThere are between 4,000-5,000 chemical compounds that are found in secondhand smoke. Over 200 of these compounds are harmful to humans and 50 of them are known to cause cancer. When you are standing next to a smoker you are breathing in these harmful, cancer causing agents.Some of these chemicals or compounds include: (2,4) arsenic (a heavy metal toxin) benzene (a chemical found in gasoline) beryllium (a toxic metal) cadmium (a metal used in batteries) chromium (a metallic element) ethylene oxide (a chemical used to sterilize medical devices) nickel (a metallic element) polonium210 (a chemical element that gives off radiation) vinyl chloride (a toxic substance used in plastics manufacture)Page 71. Brownson RC, Figgs LW, Caisley LE. Oncogene. October 2002, 21(48): 7341-8.2. http://www.Cancer.gov: National Cancer Institute Web site, Secondhand Smoke: Questions and Answers, 8/01/2007.3. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006.4. National Toxicology Program. Report on Carcinogens. Eleventh Edition. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Toxicology Program, 2005.5. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 20066. Lewis, Paul C. "Tobacco: what is it and why do people continue to use it?(Professional Practice)(Report)Tobacco." Dermatology Nursing 21.2 (March-April 2009): 88(9).7. National Cancer Institute. Cancer Progress Report 2003. Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 20048. California Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Proposed Identification of Environmental Tobacco Smoke as a Toxic Air Contaminant: Part B Health Effects, 2005.9. Stamatakis, KA, Brownson, RC, Luke, DA. Journal of Women's Health & Gender-Based Medicine. January 2002, 11(1): 45-51.10. Forster JL, Brokenleg I, Rhodes KL, Lamont GR, Poupart J. Am J Prev Med. December 2008; 35(6 Suppl):S449-56.11. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Health Statistics. National Vital Statistics Reports. Births: Final Data for 2005. December 5, 2007; 56(6).What Is CancerCancer and AI-ANLung CancerSigns of Lung CancerTreatment-Survival-SupportPage 7

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