Secondhand Smoke
Secondhand smoke 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. Secondhand smoke is estimated to cause 3,000 lung cancer deaths annually and 35,000 heart disease deaths in non-smokers each year. View the 2006 Surgeon General’s Report on Secondhand Smoke.
Children are especially susceptible: their lungs are still developing and childhood exposure to secondhand smoke results in decreased lung function. Children who breathe secondhand smoke are more likely to develop asthma, the leading serious chronic childhood disease in the United States.
- Studies estimate that 6,000 children die each year from secondhand smoke caused by parental smoking. This includes smoking while pregnant.
- In the United States, 43 percent of children are exposed to secondhand smoke in their own homes and 85 percent of children have detectable levels of cotinine in their blood. Exposure to secondhand smoke increases the severity and frequency of asthma episodes; 200,000 to 1,000,000 asthmatic children with asthma have experienced aggravated symptoms.
- Exposure to secondhand smoke causes 150,000 to 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections (pneumonia and bronchitis) annually in children 18 months and younger; these infections result in 7,500 to 15,000 hospitalizations each year.
- Secondhand smoke exposure causes buildup of fluid in the middle ear, resulting in 700,000 to 1.6 million physician office visits. Middle ear infections are the most common cause of childhood operations and of childhood hearing loss.
- A California EPA study estimated 1,900 to 2,700 sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)deaths annually associated with secondhand smoke exposure.
Source: American Lung Association
ALADC was proud to be a significant player in advocating for a 100% smokefree policy for all District residents. As of January 1, 2007, all public places, including bars and restaurants, are now smokefree in the District. Now, the DC Tobacco Free Families campaign serves to educate parents and kids about the dangerous chemicals in secondhand smoke in an effort to decrease secondhand smoke exposure for children.