Second Hand Smoke as a Risk Factor

Second-hand Smoke is smoke that happens to you. It is also called passive smoke. It is a combination of smoke, the kind that comes from the end of the tobacco and smoke that is exhaled by a smoker. Sidestream smoke is smoke that comes from the end of the cigarette. It is more deadly than the smoke that the smoker inhales. The more second-hand smoke that one inhales the higher the level of harmful chemicals in one’s body.

With so many people who have a mental illness/psychiatric diagnosis who smoke (over 44% of people with a psychiatric diagnosis smoke), people who go to programs, treatment centers, drop-in centers, clubhouses, etc are at an increased risk of running into second-hand smoke from others. Too many times people who smoke stop right outside the door, forcing people who choose not to smoke to inhale their second-hand smoke.

It’s hard to be someone with a mental illness who smokes when you are a non-smoker. You want to talk to your friends and they are all smoking. You want to go out to join them and have a good time. Then every breath you take, one has to realize that there is a possibility of early death. They might say, “You don’t mind if I smoke do you?” and you want to spend time with them so you stand in the smokers area breathing in the second-hand smoke of many cigarettes. It’s always a hard decision.

Second-hand smoke causes cancer.

Second-hand smoke causes other diseases and deaths. Each year there are 46,000 deaths from heart disease from people who don’t smoke and 3,400 deaths of lung cancer each year are due to the inhalation of second-hand smoke.

Second-hand smoke increases one’s risk of pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma, reduced lung function and middle ear infections.

It immediately affects heart and blood circulation. Over time the second-hand smoke causes cancer.

Chemicals from tobacco smoke reach breast tissue and are found in breast milk.

Second-hand smoke kills. It causes premature death and disease in children and adults who do not smoke.

There is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke.

The only way to fully protect non-smokers from second-hand smoke is to prevent all smoking in a building or home. Second-hand smoke cannot be adequately cleaned from the air or ventilated out through building ventilation systems.

People should be concerned about second-hand smoke while at work, in public areas, at home and in cars

Non-smokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke increase their risk of heart disease and lung cancer by 25 to 30%.

What can be done to minimize the risk of encountering second-hand smoke?

Ask people to set guidelines and to enforce guidelines that set up smoking areas away from entrances and exits.

If people who live in your home or group home smoke, ask to be moved to another home, for people to smoke outside or search out another solution.

Don’t sit downwind or in someone’s second-hand smoke. It isn’t just that it smells bad. Second-hand smoke kills. Politely ask them to move or move yourself.

Here are some resources that may help.

Guide to Quitting Smoking (also available in Spanish)

Questions About Smoking, Tobacco, and Health (also available in Spanish)

Smoking in the Workplace

American Heart Association & American Stroke Association
American Heart Association
Toll-free number: 1-800-242-8721 (1-800-AHA-USA-1)
Web site: www.americanheart.org

American Stroke Association
Toll-free number: 1-888-478-7653 (1-888-4-STROKE)
Web site: www.strokeassociation.org

American Lung Association
Telephone: 1-800-586-4872
Web site: www.lungusa.org


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