Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is a major source of indoor air contaminants because it contains carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and many other gases and particles…
- cigarette smoke is the number one cause of visible indoor air pollution. Inhalation of ETS (often termed ‘second-hand smoking’) exposes people to cancer-causing pollutants;
- the effects on health include headache, conjunctivae irritation, bronchitis, nasal congestion, increased incidences of asthma in children, changes to the body's immune system, lowered defences against inhaled particles, and lung cancer;
- ETS emits some 4,700 different chemicals, 200 toxins, and 43 known or suspected human carcinogens;
- public health authorities agree that in the United States, second-hand smoke kills 53,000 people each year;
- second-hand smoke is especially harmful to young children . WHO estimates that around 700 million , or almost half of the world's children, breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke, particularly at home;
- a US study has confirmed that restaurants and bars located in smoke-free cities have 82% less indoor air pollution than restaurants and bars in cities that do not have smoke-free protection.