When a cigarette is smoked, about half of the smoke is inhaled / exhaled by the smoker and the other half floats around in the air. The combination of mainstream and sidestream smoke makes up environmental tobacco smoke which is also known as secondhand smoke.

The following facts point out why it is so important to raise awareness about how serious secondhand smoke actually is. We should not all be forced to breathe in air tainted with cigarette smoke.

Cancers linked to secondhand smoke are Lung Cancer – 3000 nonsmokers die every year, Nasal Sinus Cavity Cancer, Cervical Cancer and Bladder Cancer.

Heart disease mortality - an estimated 35,000 to 62,000 deaths are caused from heart disease in people who are not current smokers, but who are exposed to secondhand smoke. Acute and chronic coronary heart disease. Passive smoking has been linked to the narrowing of the carotid arteries, which carry blood to the brain. Exposure to secondhand smoke hastens hardening of the arteries, a condition known as atherosclerosis. Continual exposure to secondhand has been shown to nearly double the chance of heart attack.

Asthma - Between 200,000 and 1,000,000 children with asthma have their condition worsened by secondhand smoke every year. Also, passive smoking may also be responsible for thousands of new cases of asthma every year. Chronic respiratory symptoms such as coughing and wheezing may be attributed to secondhand smoke. Children who breathe in secondhand smoke are more likely to suffer from dental cavities, eye and nose irritation, and irritability. Middle Ear infections.