Second-hand smoke (SHS) has a dose-response relationship. This means that the more SHS you are exposed to, through your lungs, mucus membranes (eyes, mouth, nose) and skin, the more damage is done to your tissues. The bigger (and more chronic) the dose, the bigger the response.
Health Canada estimates that over 800 deaths per year are caused by exposure to SHS, but this is a conservative number based on studies of adult exposure in the workplace only. By far the biggest toll is coronary heart disease (25-30% increased risk), followed by lung cancer (20-30% increased risk). Chronic exposure to SHS also causes nasal sinus cancer, breast cancer in predominantly pre-menopausal women (68-120% increased risk), asthma and altered vascular properties (changes to arteries).
In children, exposure to SHS causes pre-term delivery, low birth weight and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). It also causes pneumonia and chronic bronchitis, asthma, middle ear infections, chronic cough, phlegm, wheezing and breathlessness.
There is also suggestive evidence that SHS is linked to stroke, cervical cancer, brain cancer and lymphomas in children, exacerbation of cystic fibrosis, adverse impact on cognition and behaviour, allergic sensitization and miscarriage.
Of the 4,000 chemicals identified in SHS, 69 of them are carcinogens (including benzene, cadmium, formaldehyde and toluene) and 250 are regulated toxins. In 1992 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) classified SHS as a “Group A” (known human) carcinogen. This classification placed SHS among the most toxic industrial and automotive air pollutants. In 2005 the California Air Resources Board (a sub-division of the California Environmental Protection Agency) formally declared SHS a “toxic air contaminant.” This unanimous decision was based on a rigorous 4 year scientific study that included public consultation and independent peer review.
There is no known safe level of exposure to SHS. Few issues have been subject to as many scientifically rigorous reviews as SHS, and the scientific consensus is that it is a carcinogen, all exposure is harmful and therefore involuntary exposure should be eliminated. This conclusion is shared by, among others:
Health Canada
U.S. Surgeon General
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
California EPA
U.S. National Academy of Science
International Agency for Research on Cancer
U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration
U.S. National Cancer Institute
U.S. National Toxicology Program
Australian National Health and Medical Research Council
British Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health
Concern about exposure to secondhand marijuana smoke is an emerging issue—the Smoking and Health Action Foundation (SHAF) has noted a steady increase in enquiries and complaints over the past number of years, especially from multi-unit housing residents.
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The Smoke-Free Ontario Act (SFOA) came into force on 31 May 2006, and prohibits tobacco smoking in virtually all enclosed workplaces and public places.
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If second-hand smoke (SHS) respected boundaries and stayed where tobacco was smoked, exposure to SHS in multi-unit dwellings would not be an issue.
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In recent years there has been an increasing number of bylaws regulating smoke-free outdoor spaces throughout Canada and especially in Ontario. Most of these prohibit smoking on municipal property, in parks, playgrounds and sports and recreational fields. Some municipalities prohibit smoking on restaurant and bar patios, which had become “the smoking section” once smoking...
When it comes to second-hand smoke (SHS), Canadians are in the midst of a major social norm change. Now that virtually all indoor workplaces and public places are smoke-free, there is a growing appetite for more smoke-free public spaces outdoors, even among smokers.1 As people’s exposure to SHS decreases, their tolerance for exposure decreases...
It is widely documented that children exposed to second-hand smoke (SHS) are at an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), ear problems, acute respiratory infections, and the onset and worsening of asthma.
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There has been a rapid expansion of legalized gambling in Canada in the last decade. Saskat-chewan alone, with a population of just over one million, will soon have no less than 8 casinos.
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The problem of second- hand smoke (SHS) in prisons is first and foremost an occupa- tional health and safety issue for correctional officers. The smoking rate among prisoners is anecdotally about 70- 80%, which makes for a lot of SHS. Federal prisons, where inmates serve sentences of two years or more, will be totally...
