Secondhand Smoke | smokefree-services

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What are the Smokefree Services in Glasgow and Clyde?

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Smokefree Services are responsible for a wide range of tobacco projects aimed at reducing the damage from tobacco to people in and around Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Secondhand Smoke

What is secondhand smoke?

Secondhand smoke (SHS) is also known as environmental tobacco smoke or passive smoking. Secondhand smoke is smoke that is breathed in from other people's tobacco smoke.It is caused by smoke that is blown out when someone is smoking or it comes from the burning tip of a cigarette, cigar or pipe.The smoke that comes from the burning tip is the most dangerous.This is where most secondhand smoke comes from.

There are more than 4,000 chemicals in every cigarette. At least 69 of these are known to cause cancer and many others are known to be poisonous. Many poisonous substances can stay in a room or car for months after the cigarette has been stubbed out.

Secondhand smoke will quickly spread to other rooms in your house even if a window is open. Secondhand smoke can also stick to clothes, walls, furniture, carpets and toys and increase the risk of health problems for your family, friends and pets.

What is in secondhand smoke?

SHS contains hundreds of chemicals known to be toxic or carcinogenic (cancer-causing), including formaldehyde, benzene, vinyl chloride, arsenic, ammonia, and hydrogen cyanide. For more please see the following document. icon Secondhand Smoke and toxins (22.14 kB)

What harm can it do?

There is no safe level of exposure to SHS: "The scientific evidence is now clear that secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance. It is a serious health hazard that can lead to disease and premature death in children and non-smoking adults" (US Surgeon General, 2006).
Some of the immediate effects of being exposed to secondhand smoke include sore eyes, headache, cough, sore throat, dizziness and feeling sick. Just a few minutes of breathing in other people's smoke can affect the heart of non-smokers.

Summary of the main health effects of exposure to SHS

There is conclusive evidence that exposure to SHS causes:

There is substantial evidence
that exposure to SHS causes:

Adults
(Including Pregnant Women)

Lung Cancer
Coronary heart disease
Asthama attacks in those already affected
Onset of symptoms of heart disease
Worsening of symptoms of bronchitis

Stroke
Reduced foetal growth (low weight baby)
Premature birth
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Reduced lung function
Onset of asthma

Children

Cot death
Middle-ear disease (ear infections)
Respiratory infections
Asthma attacks in those already affected
Reduced lung function

Development of asthma in those previously unaffected

Source: Reproduced from BMA (2007) Breaking the cycle of children's exposure to tobacco smoke.

Secondhand smoke and children

kids.jpg - 7.58 Kb Children are at particular risk of the damaging effects of secondhand smoke because their lungs are still developing, they breathe faster and have immature immune systems that make them more vulnerable to effects of secondhand smoke than adults. For more information please click here.

Secondhand smoke and Looked After and Accommodated Children

For further information on the work being done within Greater Glasgow and Clyde around secondhand smoke and Looked After and Accommodated Children please click here.

The benefits of a Smokefree Home and Car

Please see the following document for information on the benefits of a smokefree home and car. icon

Benefits of a Smokefree home and car (17.38 kB)

Where can you get more information?

Health Scotland has recently produced some resources on second hand smoke and its effect on health. Plans are in place to update these resources.

Passive smoking leaflet: unclouding the issue available in English, Urdu and Chinese available at the following link.
http://www.healthscotland.com/documents/225.aspx

ASH website has some good information on second hand smoke and its effects. The following links to an information sheet that they have produced on secondhand smoke. (http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_113.pdf)

BMA report: Breaking the cycle of children's exposure to tobacco smoke (2007).
http://www.bma.org.uk/health_promotion_ethics/tobacco/breakingthecycle.jsp

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