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Secondhand smoke takes the lives of 53,000 people each year and is a leading cause of preventable death. There is no safe level of exposure. Secondhand smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, more than 60 of which are known to cause cancer.
SURGEON GENERAL’S REPORT
The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General, 2014.
Everyone is impacted by secondhand smoke.
Short Term Exposure can cause:
- Eye irritation
- Throat irritation
- Coughing
- Chest discomfort
- Difficulty breathing
- The CDC warns that all patients with heart disease or at risk for heart disease, should avoid all indoor environments that permit smoking
Long Term Exposure linked to:
- Lung cancer
- Nasal Sinus Cancer
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
- Heart Disease
- Respiratory illness
- Increase in the frequency and severity of asthma attacks
- Cognitive disabilities in children
- Ear infections in children
- Low birth weight
What can you do to protect yourself and others from the dangers of secondhand smoke?
- If you smoke, try to quit.
- If you are not ready to quit – try not to smoke around others