Secondhand Smoke
Secondhand Smoke
Secondhand smoke (SHS) comes from a burning cigarette. It is also the smoke that a person breathes out when a person smokes.
- SHS has thousands of chemicals.
- SHS can cause cancer, heart disease, and many other health problems.
- The Tobacco Prevention and Control Program of Utah works with local employers, healthcare providers, outdoor recreation areas, housing authorities, and schools to create policies to help decrease the amount of SHS that Utahans breathe.
- Decreasing SHS exposure will improve the health of people in Utah.
- There is no safe level of SHS exposure. Even brief exposure can be dangerous.
- SHS contains over 4,000 chemicals. More than 50 of those chemicals are known to cause cancer.
- SHS can cause deadly lung cancer in people who do not smoke.
- Living with a smoker gives you a 20-30% higher chance of getting lung cancer.
- 3,000 Americans die every year from lung cancer caused by breathing SHS.
- Being around SHS increases the risk of heart disease among non-smokers by 25-30%.
- 46,000 Americans die each year from heart disease caused by SHS.
- SHS can affect nonsmokers by causing eye irritation, headaches, nausea, and dizziness.