What's the big deal about secondhand tobacco smoke?

Teri Boettcher

Lake County Health Dept.

Tobacco Education Program

Secondhand tobacco smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Secondhand smoke is the smoke that curls from the smoldering part of the cigarette as it burns. This vapor carries up to 100 times the concentration of some of the chemicals that are in tobacco and inhaled by smokers. Secondhand smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals and at least 43 carcinogens including formaldehyde, cyanide, and arsenic.

Smoke-filled rooms can have up to six times the air pollution as a busy highway, and the smoke does not clear from the rooms for hours or, in some cases, weeks.

Kids are at the greatest risk. Most people know that infants born to smoking mothers have lower weights and weakened lungs. We now know that children living with smoking parents have about twice as many respiratory infections such as bronchitis and croup. In addition, asthma is twice as common in children exposed to high levels of secondhand smoke.

For every eight smokers who die from tobacco, one nonsmoker dies from secondhand smoke. This adds up to more than 65,000 nonsmokers dying each year.

Despite tobacco company resistance, federal, state and local government agencies have increasingly passed laws prohibiting smoking in public buildings and workplaces.

These laws are not intended to restrict the rights of smokers but to protect public health.

Tobacco is responsible for one out of every five deaths in Montana, and the direct medical cost to Montanans is more than $216 million per year. As the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States secondhand smoke is not just a nuisance - it's a killer.

Recent polls have found overwhelming support for nonsmoking workplaces among residents of Montana. Eliminating such a serious threat to public health should not be left to chance.

Here's what you can do:

Let your employer know that workplace smoke is a risk to your health. Ask that your workplace consider a non-smoking policy.

Support policies that prohibit smoking in workplaces, inside public places, and inside schools and at school-sponsored events.

Make sure caregivers do not smoke around infants and children.

Educate your family and friends about the dangers of secondhand smoke.