Most people don’t want their kids, younger siblings or grandparents to smoke. But if you use tobacco indoors, your loved ones are breathing in many of the same harmful and cancer-causing chemicals you are. This can have negative effects on their health in the long term.

What Is Secondhand Smoke?

Secondhand tobacco smoke is a combination of the smoke that comes from tobacco products like cigarettes and cigars and the air that someone breathes out while they are smoking. It contains more than 7,000 substances including:

• Benzene, which is found in gasoline
• Butane, which is found in lighter fluid
• Ammonia, which is used in household cleaning products
• Toluene, which is part of paint thinners
• Cadmium, which is used to make batteries
• Hydrogen cyanide, which is used in chemical weapons

Can Secondhand Smoke Make People Sick?

Secondhand smoke can cause health problems like heart disease, strokes and lung cancer in adults who do not smoke. Children are particularly vulnerable to negative effects from secondhand smoke exposure. This is because their bodies are smaller, and they are still growing. Children who are around secondhand smoke are at greater risk than other children for:

• Respiratory infections like pneumonia
• Asthma
• Slowed lung growth
• Ear infections
• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

What if I Don’t Smoke When Other People are Around?

Most people who are exposed to secondhand smoke encounter it in their homes or at work. In apartment buildings secondhand smoke can carry from one apartment to another through hallways, stairwells and shared ventilation.

Even if you don’t smoke when other people are present, the chemicals released when you smoke stick to nearby surfaces and put other people who enter the space at risk. This is sometimes referred to as thirdhand smoke, which is believed to become more dangerous over time. Importantly, thirdhand smoke cannot be removed through traditional cleaning methods like dusting, vacuuming or allowing fresh air into a room.

How can I Protect the People I love?

There is no safe amount of exposure to secondhand or thirdhand smoke. The most effective way you can protect the people you love is by quitting tobacco. There are a lot of resources available to help you live a tobacco-free life. You can start by speaking with your healthcare provider or by checking out the tools and resources here.