What is Secondhand Smoke?
Secondhand smoke, also known as involuntary smoking or passive smoking, is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe, or cigar, and the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers. When a cigarette is burning on its own it burns at a lower rate causing incomplete combustion and dirtier smoke than the mainstream smoke a smoker inhales. Also secondhand smoke is not filtered like most cigarettes so none of the chemicals levels are reduced.

Secondhand Smoke Contains 4,000 Chemicals.
250 of these chemicals are poisonous, 43 have been shown to cause cancer, and a majority are respiratory irritants. Secondhand smoke has been classified as a Group A Carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency. This is a rating reserved for only the most potent cancer-causing agents such as benzene and arsenic; both of which are found in secondhand smoke.

Web Resources:

• CDC Secondhand Smoke Toolkit
• American's for Non-Smoker's Rights
  
• American Lung Association
  
• American Cancer Society - Secondhand Smoke
  
• American Cancer Society - Secondhand Smoke in the Workplace

SECONDHAND SMOKE BROCHURE - ENGLISH VERSION (INSIDE)

SECONDHAND SMOKE BROCHURE - ENGLISH VERSION (OUTSIDE)

SECONDHAND SMOKE BROCHURE - SPANISH VERSION (INSIDE)

SECONDHAND SMOKE BROCHURE - SPANISH VERSION (OUTSIDE)

What are the Dangers of Secondhand Smoke?
Exposure to secondhand smoke causes irritation of the eyes, nose and throat. It has also been shown to be responsible for irritation of the lungs, leading to coughing, excess phlegm, chest discomfort and reduced lung function.

Secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in the country, killing 53,000 nonsmokers in the U.S. each year. It has been shown to cause lung cancer, nasal cancer and heart disease in nonsmokers. For every eight smokers who die from using tobacco products, one nonsmoker is killed by secondhand smoke.

Some Chemicals found in Secondhand Smoke.

Polonium-210 Power in space satellites
Benzo[a]pyrene Motor vehicle exhaust
Hydrazine Rocket fuel
1,3 butadiene Found in gasoline
Benzene Found in crude oil
N-nitrosopyrrolidine Found in pesticides
Nickel Used in batteries
Aniline Used in lacquers and wood stains
2-Naphthylamine Used in dyes
4-Aminobiphenyl Rubber antioxidant
Nicotine Insecticide/addictive drug
Cresol Industrial adhesives
Pyrene A main constituent of coal tar
DDT A banned pesticide
Carbon Monoxide Car exhaust fumes
Ammonia Toilet bowl cleaner
Hydrogen Cyanide A fumigation poison
Acetone Fingernail polish remover
Methanol Rocket fuel
Formaldehyde Embalming fluid
Butane Cigarette lighter fluid
Naphalene Moth balls
Nitrobenzene Gasoline additive
Arsenic Rat poison
Cadmium Found in batteries
Toluene Industrial solvent
Isoprene Tire rubber