Secondhand Smoke Research Paper

Words: 797
Pages: 4

He has his daddy’s smile and his mommy’s lungs. Secondhand smoke causes approximately 42,000 deaths a year (“Secondhand Smoke”). Secondhand smoke is defined as the smoke someone breathes in from a tobacco product that someone else is smoking. It is also referred to as involuntary smoking or passive smoking. There are several harmful effects of secondhand smoke. Unfortunately children are exposed in their own home from family members or a friend who smokes. Although secondhand smoke can not be completely avoided, there are several ways to limit your exposure.
There are two different types of secondhand smoke. The first type of secondhand smoke is sidestream smoke. Sidestream smoke is the most common type of secondhand smoke. (“Secondhand Smoke”). Sidestream smoke comes out of pipes,cigars and/or cigarettes. Sidestream smoke is more toxic due to higher cancer causing agents. The type of smoke has smaller particles that invade the body’s
…show more content…
But do they know how harmful they really are? “According to the 2014 Surgeon General’s report, there have been more than 20 million smoking- related deaths in the United States since 1964. 2.5 million of those deaths were among non-smokers who died from exposure to secondhand smoke” ( “Health Effects”). Secondhand smoke contain approximately 7,000 chemicals that are harmful to your body. Around 70 of those poisonous chemicals cause cancer (“Protect Your Loved Ones”). Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke risk developing lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent. “Secondhand smoke causes more than 7,300 lung cancer deaths among United States nonsmokers each year” (“Health Effects” ). Heart disease is another side effect of secondhand smoke. The rate of heart disease increase by 25 to 30 percent due to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke can also cause strokes. There are nearly 8,000 deaths from strokes each year (“Health Effects”). These harmful chemicals