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Why is SHS harmful?
Harmful Chemicals and
Carcinogens
SHS, secondhand smoke, contains all the harmful chemicals and
carcinogens as any tobacco smoke does. All the harmful effects of smoke that
damage the heart and lungs of smokers also act on non-smokers who inhale SHS.
The more SHS a non-smoker inhales, the closer he or she comes to being a
"smoker" in terms of disease risk. One of the major conclusions of the 2006
Surgeon General's Report is that "there is no safe level of secondhand
smoke."
Gases Spread Very Quickly
Employees who work in a building where smoking is allowed, even if it is
confined to a small area of the building, are still putting themselves at risk
of disease. The reason for this is that the harmful chemicals in SHS are rapidly
diffusing gases. The molecules spread very rapidly throughout the building to
enter every room within a matter of seconds. Consider a swimming pool divided by
ropes into a peeing and non-peeing area. No one would consider himself safe from
smelling like urine simply by staying in the non-peeing area. Now consider the
fact that gases spread and mix much more quickly than liquids.
Tobacco smoke and SHS contain many known human carcinogens (cancer-causing chemicals) and over
200 toxins (substances proven to be poisonous to humans).
Cigarette Smoke is
Radioactive
We have known since the 1960's that tobacco contains polonium 210, a highly
radioactive element that is known to cause cancer. Here is an article from the
New York Times about polonium in cigarettes: [New
York Times]
| Tobacco smoke has been shown to cause many types of cancer in humans, including lung
cancer and breast cancer. Even though cancer is a deadly danger of tobacco
smoke, the majority of smokers actually die from heart disease, due to the
damaging effects of tobacco smoke on the coronary arteries. The same holds true
for "secondhand smokers". Accordingly, a majority of the deaths from
SHS are due
to heart disease. Another dangerous characteristic of SHS is that its effects are cumulative. Even
though workers may be exposed to a very low level of SHS at any given time,
small amounts keep adding up, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year.
Eventually a small amount of SHS is having a very large effect on the body, and
is capable of causing deadly disease. This is the main reason that "there is no safe
level of secondhand smoke."
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Annual Deaths from Environmental Toxins in the USA*
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Secondhand smoke |
53,000 |
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Radon |
21,000 |
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Asbestos |
10,000 |
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Vinyl chloride |
27 |
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Arsenic |
15 |
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Benzene |
8 |
*Source:
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and US Surgeon
General's Report |
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