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Health
Secondhand smoke is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe, or cigar and the smoke emitted at the mouthpiece and exhaled from the lungs of a smoker.
Dangers of Secondhand Smoke
- The Environmental Protection Agency has classified secondhand smoke as a group A carcinogen, meaning there is no safe level of exposure.[1]
- Secondhand smoke has been found to be more toxic than mainstream smoke, which is the smoke inhaled by a smoker.[4]
- Secondhand smoke in outdoor public places can reach levels as high as those found in indoor facilities where smoking is permitted.[2]
- Even five minutes of exposure to secondhand smoke can cause negative health effects.[1]
Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke
- Secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Between 38,000 and 65,000 nonsmokers die each year from diseases caused by secondhand smoke such as coronary heart disease and lung cancer. Among those deaths, 6,000 occur in children. [5][6]
- Secondhand smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals; at least 2,000 are poisons and 43 are cancer causing.[7]
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