Is Passive Smoking Harmful?

Yes. Breathing in someone else's cigarette smoke (passive smoking or secondhand smoking) can increase your risk of cancer and other health problems. It is also particularly harmful for children.

Smoke stays in the air

When someone smokes a cigarette, the smoke from the burning tip is released into the air.

So is the smoke they breathe out. Smoke can stay in the air for up to two and a half hours, even with a window open. It may still be there even if you can't see it or smell it.

This also applies in small enclosed places, such as cars. Smoke may still be present in large amounts even after the person has stopped smoking.

Risks of passive smoking

Passive smoking can damage your body because secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, many of which are irritants and toxins, and some of which are known to cause cancer. Passive smoking from all forms of tobacco is harmful, including:

1. Cigarettes
2. Cigars
3. Pipe tobacco
4. Hand-rolling tobacco

Frequent exposure to other people's smoke can increase your risk of lung cancer, even if you're a non-smoker. Passive smoking also increases your risk of coronary heart disease. Coronary heart disease can cause a heart attack, angina (chest pain) and heart failure. It also increases your risk of stroke.