Steps to Protect Your Children From Secondhand Smoke
Secondhand Smoke Fact Sheet
• Stop Smoking! This is the best way to eliminate the problem. Just remember that more than half of all adult
smokers have quit smoking. You can too! Contact your state quitline for assistance 1 800 Quit Now.
• If you must smoke, choose to smoke outside .
“ The debate is over. The science is clear. Secondhand
smoke is a serious health hazard that causes premature
death and disease in children and nonsmoking adults.”
• Don’t allow smoking in your home or car even when your children are not present. Remember the
harmful chemicals in cigarettes and cigars can linger a lot longer than you think.
- U.S. Surgeon General, June 27, 2006
• Do not smoke while you are pregnant or allow yourself to be exposed to the secondhand smoke of
others. Smoking and secondhand smoke exposure while pregnant can lead to a number of complications such
as low infant birth weight, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and problems with your baby’s respiratory
health.
Negative health and economic consequences that result from commercial tobacco use are not limited to those who
make the conscious decision to continue smoking. Infants, children, and adult non-smokers are put at risk
when they are exposed to secondhand smoke in the home, in vehicles, at work, and in public places. According to
the latest U.S. Surgeon General Report, there is no safe level of exposure. 1 Even brief exposure to secondhand
smoke can result in immediate harm.
• Be certain your child’s school or childcare facilities are 100% smoke-free.
• Do not allow people to smoke around your child. This includes babysitters, relatives, and friends.
Put up no smoking signs to help enforce your smoke-free home and car rule.
What is Secondhand Smoke
• Talk to your child about the dangers of cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco.
Secondhand smoke includes mainstream smoke (exhaled from the smoker) and side stream smoke (emitted from
the burning end of a tobacco product). Secondhand smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals. 2 At least 50 of these
chemicals are known to cause cancer. 2 Other studies have demonstrated that rooms contaminated by cigarette
smoke can have pollution levels six times higher than a busy highway and that nicotine, the addictive chemical found
in tobacco, can take as long as two weeks to clear once smoking has occurred. 3
• Take the Smoke Free Homes Pledge today. By taking the pledge you join forces with thousands of
other tribal members in the Northern Plains who have already taken the pledge. Call the Northern Plains
Tobacco Prevention Project for your promotional packet today 1 866 203 1039.
Health Risks to Adults
Health risks from secondhand smoke exposure vary by age. Among adults, secondhand smoke reeks havoc on the
cardiovascular system (the heart and blood vessels). Each year between 22,000 to 69,000 coronary heart disease
deaths are attributed to secondhand smoke 4 , and non-smokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke in the home
or work have a 25 to 30 percent increased risk for developing heart disease. 1 The second greatest risk linked to sec-
ondhand smoke is lung cancer, of which 3,000 non-smokers die each year. 1 Non-smokers who are exposed to smoke
at home or in the workplace have a 20 to 30 percent increased risk for developing lung cancer. 1
Don’t Be Fooled: The Following Methods Will Not Reduce the Risk of Harm to Your Loved Ones
Health Risks to Children
Children are placed at risk when they involuntarily breathe the smoke of others. Children are extremely vulnerable to
secondhand smoke because their lungs and other organs are still developing. Secondhand smoke is responsible for
8,000 to 26,000 new cases of asthma, and 150,000 to 300,000 new cases of bronchitis and pneumonia in children
annually. 3 In addition, children who breathe secondhand smoke are more likely to experience ear infections, de-
creased lung function, decreased cognitive function, and more frequent trips to the hospital. 3
1.
Health Risks to Pregnancy and Infants
There is a direct relationship between pregnant mother’s smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke with poor
pregnancy outcomes. Low infant birth weight, gestational brain damage, abnormal blood pressure, cleft pallets and
lips, preterm labor, ectopic pregnancies are just a few pregnancy complications sited in the literature. 5 Among infants
secondhand smoke exposure increases the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) 1 , the leading cause of in-
fant mortality.
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Its Not Enough to:
Air Purification & Ventilation Systems are Not Enough
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Air purification systems and ventilation systems, no matter
how costly, will not reduce the many health risks associated
with secondhand smoke.
Move to another room
Turn on a fan
Open a window
Blow smoke away from non-smokers
Use fresheners and candles
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General.
Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion,
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006.
National Toxicology Program. 10th Report on Carcinogens, 2002. Research Triangle Park, NC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Sciences, Public
Health Service, National Toxicology Program.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Respiratory Health Effects of Passive Smoking: Lung Cancer and Other Disorders. Washington, D.C.: Environmental
Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Office of Health and Environmental Assessment, 1992. Publication No. EPA/600/6-90/006F.
California Environmental Protection Agency. Proposed Identification of Environmental Tobacco Smoke as a Toxic Air Contaminant. Sacramento, California:
California Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, 2005.
Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. Harm caused by pregnant women smoking or being exposed to secondhand smoke. Washington, DC, 2004.
Northern Plains Tobacco Prevention Project
Quitline: 800-QUITNOw
Aberdeen Area Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board
we all have the right to breathe clean air, free from secondhand smoke
Secondhand smoke is a proven
health hazard.
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2.
3.
4.
5.
Secondhand smoke isn’t just annoy-
ing – it is dangerous. 1, 2, 3
The smoke contains more than 4,000
chemicals, more than 60 of which are
known to cause cancer. 1
Anyone who breathes secondhand
smoke is breathing in ammonia, ace-
tone, arsenic, cyanide, carbon monox-
ide, formaldehyde, methane, nicotine
and thousands of other chemicals. 1
Secondhand smoke causes lung can-
cer, heart disease and serious respira-
tory conditions such as emphysema
and asthma. 2
National Cancer Institute. Risks Associated with Smok-
ing Cigarettes with Low Machine-Measured Yields of
Tar and Nicotine. Smoking and Tobacco Control Mono-
graph No. 13. Bethesda, MD: U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, National Institutes of Health,
National Cancer Institute, NIH Pub. No. 02-5074,
October 2001. dccps.nci.nih.gov/tcrb/monographs/13/
m13_5.pdf; personal communication, dated Oct. 28,
2003, from Dietrich Hoffmann, Ph.D., Associate Direc-
tor, Institute for Cancer Prevention, co-author of Chapter
5 of NCI Monograph 13, clarifying that Table 5.4 of the
Monograph (that lists the 69 carcinogens) is missing a
carcinogen, namely MeAaC (2-amino-3-methyl-9-H-
pyrido[2,3-b]indole, and it should be inserted under
“under “Miscellaneous Organic Compounds.”
National Cancer Institute. Health Effects of Exposure
to Environmental Tobacco Smoke: The Report of the
California Environmental Protection Agency. Smoking
and Tobacco Control Monograph no. 10. Bethesda,
MD. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute,
NIH Pub. No. 99-4645, 1999, cancercontrol.cancer.
gov/tcrb/nci_monographs/MONO10/MONO10.HTM.
National Toxicology Program, Public Health Service,
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 10th
Report on Carcinogens: Revised December 2002, ehp.
niehs.nih.gov/roc/tenth/profiles/s176toba.pdf.
Pechacek, T. & Babb, S., Commentary: How acute and
reversible are the cardiovascular risks of secondhand
smoke? British Medical Journal, 328 (7446): 980-983,
April 24, 2004, bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/
full/328/7446/980.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of
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The most vulnerable in our
community are at risk
You are not alone in wanting
protection from secondhand smoke
According to experts at the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention,
people with existing heart condi-
tions who are exposed to secondhand
smoke, even for just 30 minutes,
increase their risk of a heart attack.
CDC experts advise persons with
heart disease to avoid indoor settings
where smoking is allowed. 4
Seniors, asthmatics and others with
sensitive health conditions can suffer
severely from just short-term expo-
sure to secondhand smoke. 2,4,14
Exposing pregnant women to second-
hand smoke increases the occurrence
of low-birth-weight babies and SIDS. 2,9
Children exposed to secondhand
smoke are more likely to get ear infec-
tions, develop asthma and have other
health complications. 2,5
Secondhand smoke is especially
dangerous for workers in bars and
restaurants and other workers con-
stantly exposed to the thousands of
chemicals in secondhand smoke.6
Blue collar workers, service workers
and some minorities are more likely
to be exposed to second-hand smoke
on the job. 6,12
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Research and Development & Office of Air and Radia-
tion, Respiratory Health Effects of Passive Smoking:
Lung Cancer and Other Disorders, EPA/600/6-90/006F,
December 1992, epa.gov/nceawww1/ets/etsindex.htm.
Shopland, D. et al, Disparities in Smoke-Free Work-
place Policies Among Food Service Workers, Journal
of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 46 (4):
347-356, April 2004, joem.org
See TFK fact sheet, Ventilation Technology Does Not
Protect People From Secondhand Smoke, tobacco-
freekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0145.pdf
See TFK fact sheet, Smoke-free Restaurant & Bar Laws
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Hundreds of communities and a
half-dozen states have enacted strong
smoke-free laws. 10
Leading health advocacy organiza-
tions like the American Cancer Soci-
ety have joined the surgeon general,
World Health Organization and vir-
tually the entire medical community
in recognizing the serious danger of
secondhand smoke. 11
Public opinion polls consistently
show overwhelming support for laws
that ensure protection from second-
hand smoke. 15
Do Not Harm Business, tobaccofreekids.org/research/
factsheets/pdf/0144.pdf
Cooke, R.W., Smoking, Intra-Uterine Growth Retardation
and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, International Journal
of Epidemiology 27(2): 238-41 (April 1998).
American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation. Clean
indoor air ordinance counts summary. Berkeley, Cali-
fornia: American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation, 2004.
Available at no-smoke.org/mediaordlist.pdf
The Health Consequences of Involuntary Smoking: A
Report of the Surgeon General (1986), U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service,
Centers for Disease Control, Center for Health Promotion
and Education, Office on Smoking and Health, Rockville,
MD 20857, cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/sgr_1986/SGR1986-
PrefaceAndForward.PDF; See also International Agency
for Research on Cancer, Volume 83: Tobacco Smoke and
Involuntary Smoking Summary of Data Reported and
Evaluation, June 2002, iarc.fr/; Bruntland, G., Director-
General, World Health Organization, “WHO, the World
Bank and public health experts have identified a combina-
tion of the following as having a measurable and sustained
impact on tobacco use: ... controls on smoking in public
places and workplaces ... These must all be implemented
if the predicted expansion of the epidemic as outlined in
this atlas is to be prevented.” Foreword to The Tobacco
Atlas (2002). who.int/tobacco/media/en/title.pdf.
Gerlach, K. et al, Workplace smoking policies in
the United States: results from a national survey of
more than 100,000 workers, Tobacco Control, (6):
199-206, April 2004, 1997; California Department of
Health Services, Tobacco Control Section, Analysis
of Current Population Survey data (January 2002), as
The solution has to be a strong
comprehensive policy
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Voluntary policies have no account-
ability and by definition fail to ensure
basic health protection for everyone.
Comprehensive laws level the playing
field for all businesses and employees.
Employers will save money from
cleaning costs, property damage, pro-
ductivity losses, insurance premiums
and potential future legal claims from
sick employees. 13
Ventilation systems may remove
the smell but can’t remove cancer-
causing chemicals. 7
Smoke-free laws do not hurt business.
Evidence from dozens of scientific
studies in many smoke-free com-
munities as well as California, New
York and Delaware show no negative
impact of smoke-free laws on the
hospitality industry.
cited in Clean Indoor Air and Communities of Color:
Challenges and Opportunities, Policy Advocacy on
Tobacco and Health (PATH) of The Praxis Project.
thepraxisproject.org/tools/CIA_and_CoC.doc.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, Office on Smoking
and Health, Making Your Workplace Smokefree - A
Decision Maker’s Guide. cdc.gov/tobacco/research_data/
environmental/etsguide.htm. See also U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. The Costs and Benefits of Smoking
Restrictions: An Assessment of the Smoke-Free Environ-
ment Act of 1993. (H.R. 3434). Office of Air and Radia-
tion, Washington, D.C: U.S. EPA, April 1994.
The Health Consequences of Involuntary Smoking: A
Report of the Surgeon General (1986), U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service,
Centers for Disease Control, Center for Health Promo-
tion and Education, Office on Smoking and Health,
Rockville, MD 20857, cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/sgr_1986/
SGR1986-PrefaceAndForward.PDF.
Data from The Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids – Results
of nationwide surveys and surveys in New York City,
New York State, Delaware, Rhode Island, Massachusetts,
Maryland, Vermont, Minneapolis (MN), Eugene (OR),
San Antonio (TX), Washington (DC) and Louisville (KY).
May 2013
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