- Most Missourians are not protected by smoke-free policies at work and at home.1
- The only way to fully protect people from secondhand smoke is to eliminate smoking in homes, worksites, and public places.2
- Ventilation systems, barriers, and separate smoking areas do not protect people from secondhand and thirdhand smoke.3
- Tobacco smoke can be measured in high quantities more than 20 feet from an outdoor source.4
Health Risks Caused by Secondhand Smoke
In adults, secondhand smoke can cause:
- Heart disease
- Lung cancer
- Stroke
- Brief exposure to secondhand smoke can be harmful to your heart and blood vessels
Children exposed to secondhand smoke can have an increased chance of:
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
- Weak lungs
- More incidents of bronchitis, pneumonia, and ear infections
- Asthma attacks
What about secondhand aerosol from electronic devices (vaping)?
- Secondhand aerosol is exhaled, or breathed out, by people using electronic smoking devices.
- Many of the long-term health effects of aerosol from electronic devices are still unknown, but we do know that it contains chemicals that are harmful to inhale.6
Secondhand aerosol contains:
- Nicotine
- Ultrafine particles that irritate asthma and other lung conditions.7
- Cancer causing toxins.8
- Propylene glycol which can cause asthma in children.9
- Chemicals that cause permanent damage to the airways and lungs.10
What about smoke and aerosol from cannabis (marijuana)?
- Secondhand marijuana smoke contains many of the same toxic chemicals found in tobacco smoke.
- Chemicals in secondhand marijuana smoke can cause lung cancer.11
- Children who have caretakers or live with people who smoke cannabis have detectable levels of THC (marijuana’s compound that causes a high) in their bodies.12
- More research about the effects of secondhand marijuana smoke is still needed.12
What is thirdhand smoke?
- Thirdhand smoke is the residue, smell, and staining left behind from cigarette smoke for months after smoking has stopped.
- Routine cleaning methods do not remove thirdhand smoke.
- Thirdhand smoke contains 250 chemicals and sticks to dust, carpets, upholstery, walls, hair, clothes, pets’ fur, and feathers.
- The toxic chemicals left behind can re-emit and off gas back into the air.13,14
- Babies and children absorb thirdhand smoke through their skin when they crawl on contaminated floors and ingest it when they put contaminated items in their mouth.13
- The only way to prevent thirdhand smoke’s damage and health risks is to prohibit smoking in buildings and vehicles.
