The result for nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke is up to a 30% increase in their risk for heart disease compared with people who are not around smokers, states the Centers for Disease Control.
Some 250 toxic chemicals are found in exhaled and "sidestream smoke" -- smoke that comes directly from the lit end of the cigarette. Sidestream smoke contains up to three times the quantity of harmful chemicals because it doesn't pass through a filter.
Someone in a room with several smokers for 1 hour inhales as many toxins as if they smoked 10 cigarettes themselves. The chemicals affect the cardiovascular system in several ways, including:
- Promoting atherosclerosis -- the buildup of the fatty substance called plaque in your blood vessels
- Making the arteries stiff
- Causing inflammation
- Decreasing heart muscle energy
- Increasing the risk of blood clots
At work and at home are where you are most likely to encounter secondhand smoke. No safe level exists for passive smoke.
Sources:
Barnoya, Joaquin, et al. "Cardiovascular Effects of Secondhand Smoke ." Circulation 111(2005):2684-98. 3 Dec. 2008 <http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/111/20/2684?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=Smoking&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&volume=111&issue=20&resourcetype=HWCIT>.
"Cigarette Smoking and Cardiovascular Diseases." americanheart.org. 2008. American Heart Association. 4 Dec. 2008 <http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4545>.
"Passive Smoking." cancer.med.umich. 2005. University of Michigan. 3 Dec. 2008 <http://www.cancer.med.umich.edu/prevention/passive_smoking.shtml>.
"Secondhand Smoke." cdc.gov. Sept. 2006. Centers for Disease Control. 3 Dec. 2008 <http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/secondhandsmoke.htm>.
