Secondhand Smoke Analysis

Everyone knows that smoking is harmful, but what many people don't realize is that secondhand smoke can also be extremely hazardous to health of non-smokers.

Recent findings about the harmful effects of secondhand smoke:

	It is a Group A carcinogen -- a substance known to cause cancer in humans for which there is no safe level of exposure.
	It has over 4,000 chemical compounds -- more than 40 of which are Group A carcinogens, which cause cancer in humans or animals.
	At least 38,000 to 65,000 deaths annually in U.S. result from secondhand smoke-caused diseases.
	Thousands more people suffer from chronic & debilitating conditions caused by these diseases, including the effects of emphysema, cancer, heart disease, stroke, chronic bronchitis, and asthma.
	It causes lung and other cancers, and heart disease.
	It causes or exacerbates respiratory tract infections, such as pneumonia and bronchitis, especially in infants, children and older persons.
	It causes increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome and middle ear infections in children.
	It is a major health threat to persons with asthma -- sometimes fatal.
	It causes 30 times as many lung cancer deaths as all regulated air pollutants combined.

Secondhand smoke cannot be controlled by ventilation, air cleaning or the separation of smokers from non-smokers. The only solution to this problem is to make buildings smoke-free.