About passive smoking

Get the lingo! - Breathing in someone else’s cigarette smoke is called passive smoking. Passive smoking is also known as second-hand or involuntary smoking and sometimes cigarette smoke in the air is called ‘environmental tobacco smoke’ (ETS). Call it what you like – it’s proven to be harmful. So much so, that in the USA, ETS is classed as a cancer causing substance alongside asbestos, arsenic and radon gas – all very toxic stuff!

Taking a deep breath? Second-hand smoke comes from the burning end of the cigarette (sidestream smoke) as well as the smoke inhaled and exhaled by the smoker (mainstream smoke). Imagine you’re in a smoky room. Most of the smoke will be sidestream smoke, which is unfiltered and much more toxic than the stuff the smoker is breathing out. Because of the second-hand smoke, the air in that room now contains around 4,000 chemicals, and at least 60 of these are linked to cancer. If you’re babysitting, it’s not a good idea to smoke around a little one!

But it doesn’t stop there. Cigarette smoke can travel from room to room and smoking beside an open window won’t stop it polluting the rest of the house. About 85% of cigarette smoke is invisible and doesn’t smell, so we often don't notice how far it travels. Even if someone in your home is smoking in another room, their smoke will still be affecting you. Don’t be fooled into thinking that fans or ventilation will make any difference – it would take a tornado strength level of ventilation to reduce the health risks significantly.

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