Are You A Passive Smoker?

By Pegi Hueller

KCTEPP Coordinator

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), involuntary or passive smoke is more commonly known as secondhand smoke. When you are exposed to secondhand smoke, you can be considered a passive smoker. Secondhand smoke is a mixture of the sidestream smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe, or cigar, and is exhaled from the lungs of someone who is smoking (mainstream smoke). Like the contents found in smoking tobacco, this mixture contains over 4,000 substances with more than 40 of these known to cause cancer.

It is a well-known fact that smoking causes lung cancer and is the number one preventable cause of death and disease. The issue of secondhand smoke causing lung cancer is somewhat controversial among various health-related organizations. An Environmental Protection Agency report conducted in 1993, classified secondhand smoke as a Group A carcinogen. The EPA report found sufficient evidence indicating that substances found in secondhand smoke causes lung cancer in humans. Additional organizations reaching the same conclusion include the US Surgeon General and the American Lung Association. However, the American Council on Science and Health disagrees on the link between secondhand smoke and lung cancer. This group of scientists and physicians believes there is a stronger link between secondhand smoke and respiratory disorders. "The observation that the link between secondhand smoke and lung cancer may be less firm than for respiratory disorders does not diminish the gravity of the issue or alter the basic public health approaches which are needed," says J. Richard Hickman, M.D., a specialist in preventive medicine at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

While ETS is somewhat controversial, most studies indicate exposure can cause irritation of the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. It also leads to coughing, excess phlegm, chest discomfort and a reduction in lung function. The respiratory effects due to involuntary smoke in children are relatively unquestioned. To date, these claims are also undisputed by the tobacco companies themselves. Children exposed to secondhand smoke often suffer from an increase in bronchitis, pneumonia, coughing, a small but significant decrease in lung function, and increased fluid in the middle ear. Exposure to passive smoke can also be attributed to the initiation of childhood asthma often having an increased severity of attacks. Women who smoke during and after pregnancy have a three times greater chance of losing their baby to SIDS than nonsmoking women. There is also significant evidence that smoking during pregnancy can contribute to low birth weights.

Concerned about you or your children’s exposure to secondhand smoke? You can reduce ETS exposure by: not permitting smoking in your house or car, request nonsmoking hotel/motel rooms, and visiting smoke-free restaurants.

If you would like more information about secondhand smoke, the Kiowa County Tobacco Education and Prevention Program offers a variety of resources including brochures and videos. Feel free to contact Pegi Hueller at 719-438-5938 or 719-438-5492, or you can stop by the Kiowa County Nursing Service.