What You Can Do About Secondhand Smoke
and
As Parents, Jil|Decisionmakers,
Building Occupants
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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Washington, DC 20460
July 1993
402-F-93-004 &
Air and Radiation (6203J)
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
Recycled/Recyclable
Printed on paper lhal contains
at least 50% recycled fiber
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.\WHATMSEOMtDHAin
SMOKE?
• Secondhand smoke is a
mixture of the smoke given off
by^fhejjurning end of a
^jgarette^pipe or cigar and
"" ismoj^,eaialedfrom the
* ^ Smokers
re/xmtains more
-that 4tOtXrsabsiances more
;40"gf which are known, to
^
anunals andmanyofwhicji ate
strong irntaats
• Secondhand smokfijislilso
called environmental tobacco
smoke (ETS) exposure to
secondhand smoke is called
involuntary smoking, 'or
passive smoking.
SECONDHAND
SMOKE CAN mm
mm CANCER in
SEC0MJW SMOKE IS
A SERIOUS H1MIH 8ISK
TO CHILDREN
• The developing lungs of
young children are also
affected by exposure to
secondhand smoke'.
• Infants and young children
whose parents smoke are
^%jF among the most seriously
^ affected by exposure to
!j|poke being at ...
ikof lower .•'•
Ifoiy tract infections ''S'-i-:
=•& , ;.'•"'•-'
gaSEneumomaand
|is EPA estimates that.';
|ve $tnokmg is responsible-
|e|weenl50000and ' . ;
) lowef respiratory tract
ear, the most common cause
of hospitalization of children
for an operation.
• Asthmatic children are
especially at risk EPA
estimates that exposure to
secondhand smoke .increases
the number of episodes and .
severity of symptoms'in
hundreds of thousands of
asthmatic children. EPA
estimates thatbetfteai.,- v-f-", ..;
'-''
smoke:' Passive smoking may
also cause thousands of rion-
. asthmatic children to develop
. the cpnditibn.eadvyear.
• Secondhand smoke has
been classified by the U.S. .
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) as a known
cause of lung cancer in
humans (Group A carcino-
gen).
• Passive smoking is esti-
mated by EPA to cause
approximately 3,000 lung
cancer deaths in nonsmokers
each year.
between 7;50b1tal45,000-
hospitalbatioris eaclt-year./.
• Children exposed t6';v;-v •
secondhcind smoke are.alsii'
more likely to have reduced
lung.function and symptoms of
respiratory irritation like * •
cough, access phlegm, and
wheeze.
* Passive smoking can lead to
a buildup of fluid in the middle
« Exposure to secondhand
smoke causes irritation of the
eye, nose, and throat
'•. Passive smoking can also
irritite; the lungs, leading to
cotighuig, excess phlegm,
. chest discomfort and reduced
lung function,
• Secondhand smoke may ,
affect the .cardiovascular'. •' •
system, and some, studies have
linked exposure to second-
hand smoke with the onset of
chest pain.
For Kiore IH!orneafion
U.S. Environmental •
Protection Agency
Indoor Air Quality
Information Clearinghouse
(IAQINFO)
P.O. Box 37133
Washington, DC 20013-7133
1-8004384318
Office on Smoking and
• Health/Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
Mail Stop K-50
4770 Buford Highway, NJB.
• Atlanta, GA 30341-3724
'J404488-5705
National Cancer Institute
Building 31, Room 10A24
9000 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20892
1-8004-CANCER
National Heart, Lung, and
Blood Institute
Information Center
P.O. Box 30105
Bethesda, MD 20824-0105
301-951-3260
National Institute
for Occupational Safety
and Health
4676 Columbia Parkway
Cincinnati, OH 45226-1998
1-800-35-NIOSH
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« Don't smoke in your house or
permit others to do so.
« If a family member insists on
smoking indoors, increase
ventilation in the area where
smoking takes place. Open
windows or use exhaust fens.
• Do not smoke if children are
present, particularly infants and
toddlers. They are particularly
susceptible to the effects of
passive smoking.
• Don't allow baby-sitters or
others who work in your home to
smoke in the house or near your
children.
EPA recommends that every
organization dealing with
' children have a smoking policy
that effectively protects children
from exposure to environmental
tobacco smoke.
• Find out about the smoking
policies of the day care provid-
ers, pre-schools, schools, and
other care-givers for your
children.
• Help other parents understand
the serious health risks to
children from secondhand
smoke. Work with parent/
teacher associations, your school
board and school administrators,
community leaders, and other
concerned citizens to make your
cliild's environment smoke free.
EPA recommends that every
company have a fhioMng policy
that effectively protects non-
smokers from involuntary
ejcposure to tobacco smoke.
Many businesses and organiza-
Sons already have smoking
policies in place but these poli-
cies vary in their effectiveness.
• If your company does not have
a smoking policy that effectively
controls secondhand smoke,
work with appropriate manage-
ment and labor organizations to
establish one.
0 Simply separating smokers and
nonsmokers within the same
area, such as a cafeteria, may
reduce exposure, but nonsmok-
eis will still be exposed to
recirculated smoke or smoke
diifting into nonsmoking areas.
• Prohibiting smoking indoors
or limiting smoking to rooms that
have been specially designed to
ptevent smoke from escaping to
other areas of the building are
the two options that will effec-
tively protect nonsmokers.
The costs associated with
establishing properly designed
smoking rooms vary from
building to building, and are '
.likely to be greater than simply
eliminating smoking entirely.
• If smoking is permitted
indoors, ft "Should be in a room
that meets several conditions:
• Air from the smoking room
should be directly exhausted to
the outside by an exhaust fan.
Air from the smoking room
should not be recirculated to
other parts of the building. More
air should be exhausted from the
room than is supplied to it to _
make sure ETS doesn't drift to
surrounding spaces..
• The ventilation system
should provide the smoking
room with 60 cubic feet per
minute (CFM) of supply air per
smoker. This air is often
supplied by air transferred from
other parts of the building, sucl
as corridors.
• Nonsmokers should not ha1
to use the smoking room for an
purpose. It should be located ii
a non-work area where no one,
as part of Ms or her work respo
sibilities, is required to enter.
• Employer-supported smokinj
cessation programs are an
important part of any smoking
policy. Approximately 25 per-
cent of American adults still
smoke. Many smokers would
like to quit, but cigarette smok-
ing is physically and psychologi
cally addictive, and quitting is n
easy. While working in a smok
free building may encourage
some smokers to quit, a goal of
any smoking policy should be
. to actively support smokers
who want to kick the habit
••If there are designated outdoi
smoking areas, smoking shoulc
not be permitted right outside
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What You Can Do to Reduce the
Health Risks of Passive Smoking
the doors (or near building
ventilation system air intakes)
where nonsmokers may have to
pass through smoke from
smokers congregated near
doorways. Some employers have
set up outdoor areas equipped
with shelters and ashtrays to
accommodate smokers.
i2 • Know the law concerning
C£
«sc smoking in your community.
00 Some communities have banned
^, smoking in places such as
-=* restaurants entirely. Others
J^ require separate smoking areas
•z. in restaurants, although most
"^ rely on simply separating
= smokers and nonsmokers within
I— the same space, which may
u-i reduce but not eliminate
°^ involuntary exposure to FJS.
EE • K smoking is permitted,
..... placement of smoking areas,„.„„.
V k i
should be determined with some
knowledge of the ventilation
characteristics of the space to
minimize mmsmoker exposure.
For example, nonsmoking areas
should be near air supply ducts
while smoking areas should
he near return registers or
exhausts.
• Ask to be seated in nonsmok-
ing areas as far from smokers as
possible.
• If your community does not
have a smoking control ordi-
nance, urge that one be enacted.
If your local ordinances are not
sufficiently protective, urge your
local government officials to
take action,
• Few restrictions have been
imposed in bars where drinking
and smoking seem to go
, together. In the absence of state
or local laws restricting smoking
in bars, encourage the proprietor
to consider his or her nonsmok-
ing clientele, and frequent places
that do so. , ,
have laws addressing smoking in
public spaces? Many states have
laws prohibiting smoking in
public facilities such as schools,
hospitals, airports, bus terminals,
and other public buildings.
Know the law. Take advantage of
laws designed to protect you.
Federal laws now prohibit
smoking on all airline'flights of
six hours or less within the U.S.
and on all interstate bus travel.
ess
for Smokers
This iso difficult time to be a
smoker. As the public becomes
more aware that smoking is not
only a hazard to you but also to
others, nonsmokers are becoming
more outspoken, and smokers are
finding themselves a beleaguered
If you choose to smoke, here are
some things you can do to help
protect the people close to you:
• Don't smoke around children.
Their lungs are very susceptible to
smoke. If you are expecting a child,
quit smoking.
• Take an active role in the
development of your company's
smoking policy. Encourage the
offering of smoking cessation
programs for those who want them.
• Keep your home smoke free.
Nonsmokers can get lung cancer
from exposure to your smoke.
Because smoke lingers in the air,
people may be exposed even if they
are not present while you smoke. If
you must smoke inside, limit
smoking to a room where you can
open windows for cross-ventilation.
Be sure the room in which you
smoke has a working smoke
detector to lessen the risk of fire.
« Test your home for radon. Radon
contamination in combination with
smoking is a much greater health
risk than either one individually.
• Don't smoke in an automobile
with the windows dosed if passen-
gers are present. The high concen-
" tratibn of smoke in a small, closed
compartment substantially increases
the exposure of other passengers.
More than two million people quit
smoking every year, most of them
on their own, without the aid of a
program or medication. If you
want to quit smoking, assistance
is available. Smoking cessation
programs can help. Your employer
may offer programs, or ask your
doctor for advice.
&EPA
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