The dangers of Secondhand Smoke (Passive Smoking)
Secondhand smoke comes from the tip of a cigarette and the smoke that is breathed back out by the smoker. Wherever people smoke, there is secondhand smoke in the air although you might not notice it because it is almost invisible and odourless.
Even if you open a window, secondhand smoke will still be present in a room after two and a half hours! Even if you can't see or smell any smoke, it's probably still there. Smoking in a car is even worse because all of the smoke is concentrated into a small space.
SECONDHAND SMOKE CONTAINS 4,000 TOXIC CHEMICALS
People that breath secondhand smoke are at risk of the same diseases as smokers, including cancer and heart disease, because secondhand smoke contains 4,000 toxic chemicals. It is estimated that secondhand smoke causes thousands of deaths each year.
Children are particularly affected by secondhand smoke because their bodies are still developing, and around half of all British children are growing up in homes where at least one parent is a smoker.
SMOKEFREE PUBLIC PLACES
Virtually all enclosed public places and workplaces in England are now smokefree. It is against the law to smoke in the indoor parts of public places like pubs, bars, nightclubs, cafés and restaurants, lunch rooms, membership clubs and shopping centres.
Indoor smoking rooms are no longer allowed in the workplace. Public transport and work vehicles used by more than one person are also smokefree.
To read more about the smokefree legislation visit www.smokefreeengland.co.uk.
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Join the Together programme
If you have a busy lifestyle, make quitting for good easier with the Together Programme.
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Did you know?
85% of secondhand smoke is invisible and odourless Secondhand smoke contains 4,000 toxic chemicals, including 69 chemicals that cause cancer.
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Make the next step
Choose your quit date and sign up to the Together Programme today for helpful information at critical times by post, text, email and phone.
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Need to know more
Call the NHS Smoking Helpline: 0800 022 4 332 Now!
OR
Download one of our helpful free leaflets:
- Secondhand Smoke (PDF 795 kb)
- Pregnancy and Smoking (PDF 3.15 MB)
- News for Dads (PDF 153 kb)

