General Information

Second-hand smoke is tobacco smoke that:

• is breathed out by a smoker
• comes off the lit end of a cigarette

Both smokers and non-smokers inhale second-hand smoke. The more you’re exposed to second-hand smoke, the more your health is at risk.

Why is second-hand smoke dangerous?

Second-hand smoke has the same chemicals as the smoke that is inhaled by a smoker. There are more than 4,000 of them and 60 can cause cancer. Some of these chemicals are the same ones you’ll fi nd in paint strippers, white ant poison and the tar used to pave roads.

Because second-hand smoke is not fi ltered when it comes off the end of a burning cigarette, it has twice as much tar and fi ve times the carbon monoxide that smokers inhale.

How long does it stick around?

Second-hand smoke sticks around much longer than the time it takes to smoke a cigarette and people who live or work around second-hand smoke can be harmed. Going into another room to get away from it doesn’t protect a non-smoker from second-hand smoke because smoke slips through cracks and vents.

Many of the harmful chemicals in secondhand smoke are in the air long after the smoke and smell are gone. Yellowing walls in a house or car are signs of the chemicals in tobacco smoke. These chemicals cling to furniture, carpets, clothes and toys—and washing doesn’t necessarily remove them.

Candles and air fresheners may cover up the smell but they don’t remove the chemicals. Kitchen or bathroom fans, air fi lters and air purifi ers may remove some particles, but not those that have already settled on furniture or other surfaces.

How does second-hand smoke affect non-smokers?

Second-hand smoke is responsible for the deaths of about 1,100 non-smokers in Canada each year. About 100 of them are children under a year old.

• People who inhale second-hand smoke over a long time have trouble getting enough oxygen.
• Nicotine causes the heart to beat faster. The arteries in the body become smaller which, in turn, raises blood pressure. Together, these can lead to heart attacks.
• Second-hand smoke also increases the risk of blood clots, which can block blood vessels and cause a stroke or heart attack.
• Second-hand smoke increases the risk of getting lung cancer.

What can second-hand smoke do to children?

Second-hand smoke has the same effect on children as it has on adults. Because children’s lungs are smaller, they breathe faster and take in more harmful chemicals than adults.

• Children who breathe in second-hand smoke are more likely to get respiratory or lung infections. This is because children are less able to fi ght off infections than adults.
• Children can also develop asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, lung cancer and heart disease.