Second-hand smoke

Second-hand smoke, sometimes referred to as passive smoking, means breathing in other people’s tobacco smoke. Second-hand smoke is a major source of indoor pollution and damages the health of non-smokers.

Health Risks of Second-hand Smoke

There is now clear evidence that environmental tobacco smoke damages the health of non-smokers.

Immediate effects of exposure to second-hand smoke for non-smokers can include eye irritation, headache and respiratory symptoms. Adults with asthma can experience a significant decline in lung function.

Long term exposure to second-hand (passive) smoke causes lung cancer, heart disease and respiratory illness among adult non-smokers. It is a cause of respiratory disease, cot death, middle ear infection and asthmatic attacks in children.

A review carried out in 2004 by the UK Government-appointed Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health (SCOTH) estimated that non-smoking adults exposed to second-hand smoke were 24 per cent more likely to develop lung cancer and 25 per cent more at risk of heart disease. The Committee concluded that second-hand smoke is a serious public health risk.

SCOTH Second-hand Smoke: Review of evidence since 1998 (pdf, 165 kb)