1. The Effects of Secondhand
Smoke
Melissa Tobias
Alvernia University
Writing in Healthcare Science

2. Secondhand smoke:
A mixture of gases and fine particles
which consists of:
◦ Smoke from a burning cigarette, cigar, or
pipe tip
◦ Smoke that has been exhaled or breathed
out by the person or people smoking
◦ More than 7,000 chemicals, including
hundreds that are toxic and about 70 that
can cause cancer.

3. General Information surrounding
secondhand smoke:
 The scientific evidence shows there’s
NO SAFE LEVEL of exposure to
secondhand smoke. Any exposure is
harmful.
 People who smoke are up to six (6)
times more likely than nonsmokers to
suffer a heart attack.
 Breathing secondhand smoke
interferes with the normal functioning
of the heart, blood, and vascular
systems in ways that increase the risk
of having a heart attack.

4.  Smoking by women during
pregnancy increases the risk
for SIDS (Sudden Infant
Death Syndrome).
 Smoking during pregnancy
causes low birth-weight in at least 1 in 5 infants.
 Nicotine and carbon monoxide decrease
availability of oxygen for the fetus, resulting in low
fetal tissue oxygenation.
 Of the women who are able to stop smoking
during pregnancy, half are smoking again 6
months after delivery.
Effects of secondhand smoke on
unborn children:

5. Effects of secondhand smoke on
children:
 Infants who are exposed to secondhand
smoke after birth are also at a greater risk
of SIDS.
 It’s estimated that about 1 out of every 4
children ages 3 to 11 in the United States
lives with at least one smoker.
 More than 40 % of children who go to the
emergency room for asthma live with
smokers.
 Every year, an estimated 150,000 to
300,000 children under 18 months of age
get pneumonia or bronchitis from breathing

6. Continuation of effects of
secondhand smoke on children:
 Previous research has shown that exposure to secondhand
smoke increases the likelihood that children become teenage
smokers and makes it more difficult for adult smokers to quit.
 Studies show that older children
whose parents smoke get sick more
often. Their lungs grow less than
children who do not breathe
secondhand smoke, and they get more
bronchitis and pneumonia.
 In children under 18 years of age,
secondhand smoke exposure also
results in more coughing and wheezing,
a small but significant decrease in lung
function, and an increase in fluid in the middle ear.

7. How are our lungs affected:
 Airways narrow almost immediately,
reducing the amount of oxygen the
body takes in.
 Effects are worse for children since
their breathing is faster and their lungs
are less developed.
 Nonsmokers who are exposed to
secondhand smoke at home or work
increase their lung cancer risk by 20-
30%.

8. Continuation on how our lungs
are affected:
 After just a few minutes of exposure,
people
showed near immediate physiological
changes that caused their airways to
narrow, making it more
difficult for the body to take
in the oxygen it needs.
 Secondhand smoke can
impair breathing within
20 minutes.

9. The effects of secondhand
smoke on adults:
 EPA estimates that approximately 3,000
American nonsmokers die each year
from lung cancer caused by secondhand
smoke.
 Of the 3,000 deaths, 800 are estimated
to be from exposure to secondhand
smoke at home and 2,200 from exposure
in work or social situations.
 Secondhand smoke harms the heart,
blood vessels, and blood circulation right
away. Over time it can cause heart
disease, strokes, and heart attacks.

10. How are our brains affected:
 Secondhand smoke has a direct
measurable impact on the brain
similar to what’s seen in the person
doing the smoking.
 Even limited secondhand smoke
exposure delivers enough nicotine to
the brain to alter its function.

11. Further brain study:
 Upper brain image shows the tracer
molecules binding to the empty
nicotine receptors, showing red and
yellow. The lower brain image shows
the brain after exposure for one(1) hour
to secondhand smoke. Nicotine replaces
the tracer molecules leading to lower
yellow and red activity.
 The researchers found that 1 in 5 nAChRs
receptors in the brains of both smokers and
nonsmokers became occupied by nicotine after 1
hour of exposure to secondhand smoke.

12. Secondhand smoke exposure
decrease:
 When a nonsmoker breathes in
secondhand smoke, the body begins to
metabolize or break down the nicotine
that was in the smoke. During this
process, a nicotine byproduct called
cotinine is created. To test secondhand
smoke, the cotinine can be measured in
saliva, urine, or blood
◦ 1988-1991: approximately 87.9% of
nonsmokers had measurable levels of
cotinine
◦ 1999-2000: approximately 52.5% of
nonsmokers had measurable level of cotinine
◦ 2007-2008: approximately 40.1% of
nonsmokers had measurable levels of

13. Tobacco use is the leading
preventable cause of death:
 Tobacco use causes more than 5 million deaths
per year, and current trends show that tobacco
use will cause more than 8 million deaths
annually by 2030.
 Cigarette smoking is
responsible for about one in
five deaths annually (more than
440,000 deaths per year, and an
estimated 49,000 of these smoke
related deaths are from secondhand
smoke exposure).
 On average, smokers die 10 years
earlier than nonsmokers.

14. State spending on tobacco
control:
 States have billions of dollars available to
them for preventing and controlling tobacco
use. States currently use a very small
percentage of these funds for tobacco control
programs.
 In 2013, states will collect $25.7 billion from
tobacco taxes and legal settlements, but will
spend only 1.8% of the $25.7 billion on
prevention and cessation programs.
 Investing in less than 15% (about 3.7 billion)
of the $25.7 billion would fund every state
tobacco control program at CDC-
recommended levels.
 Currently, states do not meet the CDC
recommended levels.

15. Trivia Time:
 In children aged 18 months or younger,
secondhand smoke exposure is
responsible for… how many cases of
bronchitis and pneumonia annually?
 25,000-50,000
 80,000-120,000
 150,000-300,000
 Answer: 150,00-300,000

16. Trivia Time:
 In children aged 18 months or younger,
secondhand smoke exposure is responsible
for… how many hospitalizations annually in
the United States?
 4,000-7,000
 7,500-15,000
 16,000-19,000
 Answer: 7,500-15,000

17. Trivia Time:
 Nonsmokers who are exposed to
secondhand smoke at home or work increase
their heart disease risk by how much?
 15-20%
 25-30%
 40-45%
 Answer: 25-30%

18. Trivia Time:
 For every person who dies from a smoking
related disease, how many more people will
suffer with at least one serious illness from
smoking?
 20
 34
 51
 Answer: 20

19. Trivia Time:
 Each DAY, how many people younger
than 18 years of age smoke their first
cigarette?
 2,000
 3,000
 4,000
 Answer: 4,000

20. Trivia Time:
 Each DAY, how many people younger than
18 years of age become new daily cigarette
smokers?
 1,000
 2,000
 3,000
 Answer: 1,000

21. Trivia Time:
 Approximately what percentage of
smokers want to quit completely?
 35%
 54%
 69%
 Answer: 69%

22. Trivia Time:
 Approximately what percentage of
smokers attempted to quit in 2010?
 34%
 52%
 60%
 Answer: 52%

23. References:
 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Health
Effects of Secondhand Smoke. Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/s
econ dhand_smoke/health_effects
 How secondhand smoke affects the brain. (2011). Retrieved
from
http://www.nih.gov/researchmatters/may2011/05162011s
mok e.htm
 Khader, Y., Al-Akour, N., AlZubi, I., & Lataifeh, I. (2011). The
association between secondhand smoke and low birth
weight and preterm delivery. Maternal & Child Health
Journal, 15(4), 453-459.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10995-010-0599-2
 Setting the Record Straight: Secondhand Smoke is a
Preventable Health Risk. (2011). Retrieved from
http:www.epa.gov/smokefre/pubs/strsfs.html
 Smoking can affect your baby’s health. (2012). Retrieved
from
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/tobaccocanc
er/wo menandsmoking/women-and-smoking-health-of-