Second-Hand Smoke

Secondhand smoke is the combination of smoke from the burning end of a cigarette and the smoke breathed out by smokers. Secondhand smoke contains at least 250 toxic chemicals, including more than 50 that can cause cancer.1

There is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke causes numerous health problems in infants and children, including severe asthma attacks, respiratory infections, ear infections, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).1 Some of the health conditions caused by secondhand smoke in adults include heart disease and lung cancer.1

References

1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: 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 [accessed 2010 Jan 7].

• For more information regarding Wisconsin’s smoke-free air law.


• For additional questions regarding secondhand smoke in Columbia and Dane County, please contact Ryan Sheahan.