October 2022

Secondhand smoke is when a non-smoker inhales the smoke of a smoker. Also called involuntary smoking, it is considered one of the direct causes of lung cancer in nonsmokers.

Secondhand smoke is just as harmful as direct smokingㅣSource: Getty Imagesbank

It is estimated that over 100,000 chemical substances are contained in cigarette smoke, and it has been found that more than 4,000 substances discovered so far account for more than 95% of the total amount of smoke. At least 250 of them were found to be toxic or carcinogenic.

What is sidestream smoke from secondhand smoke?
The problem is that secondhand smoke, like direct smoking, exposes you to most of the harmful chemicals contained in cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke inhaled during secondhand smoke is called sidestream smoke, and its concentration is much higher than that of mainstream smoke. According to a report by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) under the World Health Organization, sidestream smoke contains more benzene, compared to mainstream smoke from direct smoking. Carcinogens such as 2-naphthylamine and benzo(a)pyrene are 13 to 30 times higher, 30 times higher and 2.5 to 3.5 times higher, respectively.

In addition, as a result of an animal experiment in which condensates of sidestream smoke and condensates of mainstream smoke were applied to the skin of laboratory mice, the condensates of sidestream smoke were 2-6 times more likely to cause skin cancer. For reference, direct smoking is more harmful than secondhand smoke because both mainstream and sidestream smoke are inhaled.

Major causes of cardiovascular disease
In 1986, following the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recognized the seriousness of secondhand smoke and submitted an official report to the U.S. Congress and the President, a study on the harmful effects of secondhand smoke on the human body and health started in earnest. As a result, it has been found that secondhand smoke can cause serious health problems, including lung cancer and heart disease, beyond the mere unpleasantness of cigarette smoke.

In particular, secondhand smoke is a major cause of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. According to a study published in the American College of Cardiology in 1994, there were more deaths from coronary artery disease from secondhand smoke than from lung cancer from secondhand smoke. According to a 2002 study by researchers at the University of Helsinki, Finland, secondhand smoke increases the risk of cardiovascular disease by regarding 25-25%.

In addition, a study by the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine (WIPM) in the UK found that non-smokers living with smokers increased their risk of angina pectoris and myocardial infarction by 30%. This is regarding half the risk of angina or myocardial infarction for a smoker who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day.

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