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Environmental Tobacco Smoke

No such bans exist in our homes, of course, where non-smoking partners and children breathe secondhand cigarette smoke.

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), or secondhand smoke, as it is also called, is the toxic waste of tobacco combustion. It has two sources: the mainstream smoke exhaled by the smoker and the sidestream smoke that is emitted from the burning tobacco in cigarettes, pipes or cigars and does not pass through the smokers' lungs. You are a passive smoker when you inhale the secondhand smoke or ETS.

Take a deep breath and you fill your lungs with many toxic substances and cancer-causing agents including nicotine, tar, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, arsenic, benzene and phenols. Research has identified around 40 compounds in tobacco smoke that cause cancer in animals and humans. The number of hazardous chemicals increases to 60 when the scientists include tumour promoters and initiators. In addition the smoke contains harmful fine particles, particulate matter, that are associated with heart disease, irritation of throat, lung and eyes; impaired breathing; lung diseases; and aggravation of existing respiratory and cardiovascular disease.

An increasing number of scientific reports clearly identifies passive smoking as a cause for cancer. The risk that an adult dies of secondhand smoke is much smaller than the risk a direct smoker takes, but it is still significant. The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that approximately 100,000 citizens die each year as a direct consequence of smoking, while 'only' 3,000 deaths can be blamed on passive smoking. Worldwide the figure grows to hundreds of thousands. Consequently, ETS is now classified as known human cancer-causing substance (carcinogen).

"Exposure to secondhand smoke may have certain harmful - possibly even fatal - health effects such as lung cancer and heart disease." (American Lung Association, 2001)

Billion-dollar law suits against tobacco companies highlight the fact that smoking is a major cause of death and disease. Because the evidence is mounting that passive smoking is also a health hazard, smoke-free restaurants, offices and public places slowly become the norm. A typical example is the ban of smoking on all flights of major airlines.

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Environmental Tobacco Smoke

Secondhand Smoke