Secondhand Smoke

What is secondhand smoke?

Secondhand smoke means breathing in someone else's smoke and is often referred to as passive smoking.

Secondhand smoke is made up of two types of smoke:

Mainstream Smoke - the smoke breathed in and out by the smoker.

Side Stream smoke - the smoke from the burning tip of a cigarette or cigar, which accounts for 85% of the smoke in a smoky atmosphere. It contains higher concentrations of toxins than those breathed in by a smoker.

The effect of secondhand smoke on your body when in a room with a smoker you are also exposed to those 4,000 chemicals, which can some unpleasant side effects:

• sore eyes and throat breathing problems
• headaches
• asthma attacks
• dizziness
• worsening of chest problems
• coughing, sneezing and running nose
• feeling sick

Over time it can also increases your risk of heart disease and lung cancer by 25%.

Death from Secondhand Smoke

In the UK, more than 30 people are dying every day from exposure to secondhand smoke - over 10,000 deaths a year.

Around 100 people in Liverpool die every year as a result of being exposed to someone else's tobacco smoke.

Exposure to second-hand smoke in the workplace alone is estimated to kill around 2 workers a day, resulting in almost 617 deaths a year.