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The Health Consequences of Secondhand Smoke* |
- A cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers
- Associated with higher death rates from cardiovascular
disease in nonsmokers
- Associated with increased risk of sudden infant death
syndrome (SIDS)
- Associated with increased irritant effects, particularly
eye irritation, among allergic persons
- In children, SHS is associated with
...
- respiratory tract infections,
- increased prevalence of fluid in the middle ear,
- additional episodes of asthma, and
- increased severity of symptoms in children with asthma,
and
- a risk factor for new onset of asthma in children who
have not previously displayed symptoms
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Source:
Making
Your Workplace Smokefree - A Decision Maker's Guide
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
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Secondhand
smoke (SHS) is the combination of smoke exhaled by a smoker and the
smoke from a burning cigarette. This combination is dangerous for both
the smoker and the non-smoker.
- SHS contains more than 4,000 chemicals, including
43 known cancer-causing substances.
- SHS is classified as a "Group A Carcinogen,"
a substance known to cause cancer in humans.
- Secondhand smoke kills approximately 62,000
nonsmokers each year in the United States.
- Smoke-filled rooms can have up to six times
the air pollution of a busy highway
- SHS causes 250,000 heart attacks every year
in the U.S. 35,000 die from heart attacks caused by SHS
- Just 20 minutes in a smoky room causes a
non-smoker's blood platelets to become almost as "sticky"
as a pack-a-day smoker's. "Sticky" platelets increase
the likelihood of clotting that can cause stroke or heart attack.
SHS puts
employees at higher risk for disease and disability
- Waitresses have higher rates of lung and heart
disease than any other traditionally female occupational group.
One shift in a smoky bar is equivalent to smoking 16 cigarettes
a day. [Source:
Journal of the American Medical Association]
- Two hours in a smoky bar is the same as smoking
four cigarettes. [Source:
UC Berkeley School of Public Health]
- Nonsmokers exposed to SHS have higher death rates
from cardiovascular disease than nonsmokers who are not exposed
to SHS. [Source:
CDC]
- For most workers who smoke, cigarette smoking
is a greater cause of death and disability than any hazard in
the workplace. [Source:
CDC]
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