Secondhand smoke has been classified as a Group A carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a rating used only for substances proven to cause cancer in humans. A study conducted in 1992 by the EPA concluded that each year approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths in nonsmoking adults are attributable to ETS. Exposure to secondhand smoke also causes eye, nose, and throat irritation. It may affect the cardiovascular system and some studies have linked exposure to secondhand smoke with the onset of chest pain. ETS is an even greater health threat to people who already have heart and lung illnesses.

See our complete line of air purifiers to help with second hand smoke.

Infants and young children whose parents smoke in their presence are at increased risk of lower respiratory tract infections (pneumonia and bronchitis) and are more likely to have symptoms of respiratory irritation like coughing, wheezing, and excess phlegm. In children under 18 months of age, passive smoking causes between 150,000 and 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections, resulting in 7,500 to 15,000 hospitalizations each year, according to EPA estimates. These children may also have a buildup of fluid in the middle ear, which can lead to ear infections. Slightly reduced lung function may occur in older children who have been exposed to secondhand smoke.