Passive smoking

Published by Bupa’s Health Information Team, December 2010. 

Passive smoking is when second-hand smoke is breathed in by someone other than the smoker. Passive smoking carries all the same health risks as smoking, and it’s particularly dangerous for children. This article tells you about the dangers of passive smoking.

Tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 harmful and addictive chemicals including nicotine, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde. Second-hand smoke (also known as environmental tobacco smoke) is smoke that comes from the burning cigarette (sidestream smoke) combined with the smoke breathed out by the smoker (mainstream smoke). Sidestream smoke makes up the majority of second-hand smoke and is more toxic than mainstream smoke.

If you smoke inside, it’s not enough to just open a window. The smoke from a single cigarette can stay around in a room for up to two and a half hours. And don’t think that hanging out of the window will help – it won’t, and some research has shown that second-hand smoke can linger on clothes, carpets, furnishings and walls. This makes it almost impossible to keep second-hand smoke away from other people.

What effects can passive smoking have on non-smokers?

Short-term effects

Being exposed to second-hand smoke is generally pretty unpleasant – it may give you a headache, cough or sore throat. It can also irritate your eyes and make you feel sick or dizzy. If you have asthma, being exposed to smoke may make your symptoms worse. And of course, although the smell of smoke on your clothes and hair may be less serious, it can actually be more irritating.

Long-term effects

If you're regularly exposed to second-hand smoke, your risk of developing smoking-related diseases substantially increases. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that second-hand smoke increases your risk of heart disease or lung cancer by up to a third. Not only that, you’re more likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which causes problems with breathing.

Effects on children

Around four in 10 of all children in the UK are exposed to tobacco smoke at home. However, the good news is that with the introduction of new smoking laws, this number is slowly dropping.

Children who are exposed to second-hand smoke are at an increased risk of a number of serious conditions including:

• bronchitis and pneumonia
  
• asthma
  
• coughing and wheezing
  
• middle ear infections

Smoking during pregnancy can lead to your baby having a low birth weight, which can cause serious health problems in later life, such as eye problems or asthma. In addition, by smoking when you’re pregnant or near your baby, you increase the risk of cot death. Cot death, or ‘sudden unexpected death of an infant’ (SUDI), is when a child dies before the age of two and no cause can be found.

Your child is also three times more likely to start smoking if he or she is exposed to second-hand smoke at home.

Legality in the UK

Since July 2007, all enclosed public places and workplaces such as pubs, clubs and restaurants in the UK have been smoke-free. Although there was some opposition, a survey by the Department of Health showed that more than eight out of 10 people agreed with it, particularly in restaurants and leisure centres.

Further research suggests that the ban has encouraged more people to stop smoking. It has also helped to reduce the number of people admitted to hospital after a heart attack because fewer people are being exposed to second-hand smoke.

For sources and links to further information, see Resources.