Secondhand Smoke—Occupational Health

Occupational health problems occur at work or because of the kind of work you do. These problems can include

• Cuts, broken bones, sprains, and strains
• Loss of limbs
• Repetitive motion disorders
• Hearing problems caused by exposure to noise
• Vision problems
• Illness caused by breathing, touching, or swallowing unsafe substances
• Illness caused by exposure to radiation
• Exposure to germs in health care settings

Good job safety and prevention practices can reduce your risk of these problems. Try to stay fit, reduce stress, set up your work area properly, and use the right equipment and gear.

• Back pain – returning to work (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Occupational asthma (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Occupational hearing loss (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Pregnancy and work (Medical Encyclopedia)

Also called: Environmental tobacco smoke, Passive smoking, Tobacco smoke pollution

Secondhand smoke is a mixture of the smoke that comes from the burning end of a cigarette, cigar, or pipe, and the smoke breathed out by the smoker. It contains more than 7,000 chemicals. Hundreds of those chemicals are toxic and about 70 can cause cancer.

Health effects of secondhand smoke include

• Ear infections in children
• More frequent and severe asthma attacks in children
• Heart disease and lung cancer in adults who have never smoked

There is no safe amount of secondhand smoke. Even low levels of it can be harmful. The only way to fully protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke is not to allow smoking indoors.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• Smoking and asthma (Medical Encyclopedia)