Secondhand Smoke

• Secondhand smoke, also known as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of tobacco products (sidestream smoke) and the smoke exhaled by smokers (mainstream smoke).^1,2
   
• Secondhand smoke contains a complex mixture of more than 4,000 chemicals, more than 50 of which are cancer-causing agents (carcinogens).^1,2
   
• People are exposed to secondhand smoke in the home, workplace, and in public venues such as bars, bowling alleys, and restaurants.³
   

• Secondhand smoke is associated with an increased risk for lung cancer and coronary heart disease in nonsmoking adults.^1,2,4 Secondhand smoke is a known human carcinogen (cancer-causing agent).^2,4
   
• Because their lungs are not fully developed, young children are particularly susceptible to secondhand smoke. Exposure to secondhand smoke is associated with an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), asthma, bronchitis, and pneumonia in young children.^1,5
   

• An estimated 3,000 lung cancer deaths and 35,000 coronary heart disease deaths occur annually among adult nonsmokers in the United States as a result of exposure to secondhand smoke.⁶
   
• Each year, secondhand smoke is associated with an estimated 8,000–26,000 new asthma cases in children.⁴ Annually an estimated 150,000–300,000 new cases of bronchitis and pneumonia in children aged less than 18 months (7,500–15,000 of which will require hospitalization) are associated with secondhand smoke exposure in the United States.⁴
   
• Approximately 60% of people in the United States have biological evidence of secondhand smoke exposure.⁷
   
• Among children aged less than 18 years, an estimated 22% are exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes, with estimates ranging from 11.7% in Utah to 34.2% in Kentucky.⁸
   

References

1	National Cancer Institute. Health Effects of Exposure to Environment Tobacco Smoke. Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph No. 10 ( PDF - 71k). Bethesda, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute; 1999. NIH Pub. No. 99-4645. Accessed: February 2004.
2	National Toxicology Program. 10th Report on Carcinogens. Research Triangle Park, NC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Toxicology Program, December 2002. Accessed: February 2004.
3	Pirkle JL, Flegal KM, Bernert JT, Brody DJ, Etzel RA, Maurer KR. Exposure of the U.S. population to environmental tobacco smoke: The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988 to 1991. Journal of the American Medical Association 1996;275(16):1233–1240.
4	U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Respiratory Health Effects of Passive Smoking: Lung Cancer and Other Disorders. Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency;1992. Pub. No. EPA/600/6-90/006F. Accessed: February 2004.
5	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Women and Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Office of the Surgeon General; 2001. Accessed: February 2004.
6	CDC. Annual smoking-attributable mortality, years of potential life lost, and economic costs—United States, 1995–1999 ( PDF - 225k). Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2002;51(14):300–303. Accessed: February 2004.
7	CDC. Second National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals: Tobacco Smoke. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, National Center for Environmental Health; 2003:80. NCEH Pub No. 03-0022. Accessed: February 2004.
8	CDC. State-specific prevalence of cigarette smoking among adults, and children’s and adolescents’ exposure to environmental tobacco smoke—United States, 1996. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 1997;46(44):1038–1043. Accessed: February 2004.

Note: The next update of this fact sheet is scheduled for February 2005. More recent information may be available at the CDC'S Office on Smoking and Health Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco.

For Further Information

Office on Smoking and Health
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Mailstop K-50
4770 Buford Hwy., N.E.
Atlanta, GA 30341-3717
770-488-5705
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco

Media Inquiries: Contact the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health press line at 770-488-5493.