third hand smoke

Passive smoking is the involuntary inhalation of smoke from tobacco products. It occurs when tobacco smoke permeates any environment, causing its inhalation by all people within that environment. Such smoke is called secondhand smoke (SHS) or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Scientific evidence shows that exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke causes disease, disability, and death.[1][2][3][4]

The risks associated with passive smoking are one of the main reasons for smoking bans in workplaces and indoor public places, including restaurants, bars and night clubs. Contents [hide] 1 Long-term effects 2 Causal mechanisms 3 Epidemiological studies of passive smoking 3.1 Studies of passive smoking in animals 3.2 Risk level of passive smoking 4 Current state of scientific opinion 4.1 Public opinion 5 Controversy over harms of passive smoking 5.1 Critique of individual studies and epidemiology 5.2 World Health Organization controversy 5.3 EPA lawsuit 5.4 Tobacco-industry funding of research 6 Tobacco industry response 6.1 Position of major tobacco companies 7 Smoking bans 8 See also 9 External links 9.1 Scientific bodies 9.2 Tobacco industry-related 9.3 Other links 10 References //

Long-term effects

Research has generated scientific evidence that secondhand smoke (that is, in the case of cigarettes, a mixture of smoke released from the smoldering end of the cigarette and smoke exhaled by the smoker) causes the same problems as direct smoking, including heart disease,[5] cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, and lung ailments such as COPD, bronchitis and asthma.[6] Specifically, meta-analyses have shown lifelong non-smokers with partners who smoke in the home have a 20–30% greater risk of lung cancer, and those exposed to cigarette smoke in the workplace have an increased risk of 16–19%.[7]

A wide array of negative effects are attributed, in whole or in part, to frequent, long term exposure to second hand smoke.[8][9][10] Some of these effects include: Cancer: General: overall increased risk;[11] reviewing the evidence accumulated on a worldwide basis, the International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded in 2002 that "Involuntary smoking (exposure to secondhand or 'environmental' tobacco smoke) is carcinogenic to humans (Group 1)."[12] Lung cancer: the effect of passive smoking on lung cancer has been extensively studied. A series of studies from the USA from 1986–2003,[13][14][15][16][17][18] the UK in 1998,[19][20] Australia in 1997[21] and internationally in 2004[22] have consistently shown a significant increase in relative risk among those exposed to passive smoke. Breast cancer risk is increased by 70% in younger, primarily premenopausal women. The California Environmental Protection Agency has concluded that passive smoking causes breast cancer[3] and the US Surgeon