Dangers of second-hand smoke
The effects of second-hand smoke (passive smoking) were identified in the Scoth Report in 1998 for the following age groups:
| Childbirth and infancy | Illnesses in Children | Illnesses in adults |
|---|---|---|
|
Low birth weight Cot death |
Middle ear infection |
Heart disease |
Even short-term exposure to second-hand smoke affects health, for example 30 minutes exposure is enough to reduce the blood flow to the heart muscle.
Everyone who breathes second-hand smoke is affected
Particularly vulnerable groups include:
Hospitality workers were exposed to 4-6 times more second-hand smoke than other workers. They have a higher incidence of lung cancer than any other occupation.
- On average one bar worker dies each week in the UK due to workplace exposure to second-hand smoke.
- 1.84 million with angina
- 5.2 million people suffer from asthma - 1.1 million of asthma sufferers are children.
- 80% of asthma sufferers say that second hand smoke has a bad effect on them.
- 1.3 million who have had a heart attack
- 360,000 who have had a stroke
- 750,000 pregnant women