What is secondhand smoke?

  What is secondhand smoking and what are the short-term and long-term effects to you and others aroun

Find out more about secondhand smoke in this section, what it is and what are the short-term and long-term effects to you and others around you.

Secondhand smoke is other people’s tobacco smoke. Also known as passive smoking, secondhand smoke is a major source of indoor air pollution. It can lead to heart disease and lung cancer, and make illnesses like asthma worse.

Secondhand smoke is made of two types of smoke:

* Mainstream smoke - is smoke breathed in and out by smokers
* Sidestream smoke - comes from the end of a burning cigarette or cigar, and makes up 85 per cent of the smoke in a smoky environment. This type of smoke contains more toxins and nicotine than mainstream smoke.

Short-term effects
The effects you might notice straight away include:

* Coughing
* Headache
* Eye irritation
* Sore throat
* Sneezing and runny nose
* Feeling sick
* Breathing problems (and possibly an asthma attack)
* Irregular heartbeat (a particular problem for people with heart disease)

Long-term effects

* Worsening of chest problems and allergies like asthma, hay fever, bronchitis and emphysema
* Increased risk of heart disease
* Increased risk of lung cancer
* Pregnant women exposed to secondhand smoke can pass on the harmful gases and chemicals to their babies


About the author:


http://www.givingupsmoking.co.uk

More health information - More smoking information