Secondhand smoke, also known as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar and the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers.
- is involuntarily inhaled by nonsmokers
- lingers in the air hours after cigarettes have been extinguished
- can cause or exacerbate a wide range of adverse health effects, including cancer, respiratory infections, and asthma.1
- has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a known cause of cancer in humans (Group A carcinogen).1
Surgeon General’s Report 2006 concluded that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.
Your Health Education Team provides education to the community regarding the dangers of secondhand smoke. For more information on your county, please click on your county and contact your Health Educator.
- 1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General, 2006. 6 Major Conclusions of the Surgeon General Report. Available at the Surgeon General’s website.
Find smoke-free restaurants in your community.
