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Secondhand Smoke: Passive but Deadly
Environmental tobacco smoke. Secondhand smoke. Passive smoke. No matter what you call it – it is deadly for children, adults, and even pets.
Secondhand smoke, also known as Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe, or cigar, as well as the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers.
Did you know that secondhand smoke has been found to be the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States? Today, secondhand smoke is a public health issue responsible for more than 53,000 U.S. deaths each year – one tobacco-exposed non-smoker dies for every eight smokers who die.
Secondhand smoke affects both adults and children. Infants exposed to secondhand smoke are at danger for respiratory diseases, ear infections, asthma and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Even pets can suffer from emphysema as a result of being exposed to secondhand smoke.
The Environmental Protection Agency classifies secondhand smoke as a Group A carcinogen, the most toxic substance known to cause cancer in humans.
How can You Reduce Exposure to Secondhand Smoke?:
- Don't allow smoking in your home or car, and try to avoid smoke in other people's homes and cars. Ask family and friends to smoke outside. Try saying something like,
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