ETS contains over 4,000 chemicals; 200 are poisons; 43 cause cancer. ETS has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a known cause of cancer in humans (Group A carcinogen).

ETS causes lung cancer and other health problems. The EPA estimates that ETS causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths and 37,000 heart disease deaths in nonsmokers each year.

ETS is especially harmful to young children. EPA estimates that ETS is responsible for between 150,000 and 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections in infants and children under 18 months of age annually, resulting in between 7,500 and 15,000 hospitalizations each year.

ETS is harmful to children with asthma. The EPA estimates that for between 200,000 and one million asthmatic children, exposure to ETS worsens their condition

ETS can make healthy children less than 18 months of age sick; it can cause pneumonia, ear infections, bronchitis, coughing, wheezing and increased mucus production. According to the EPA, ETS can lead to the buildup of fluid in the middle ear, the most common cause of hospitalization of children for an operation.

Individuals can take several steps to reduce their exposure to ETS, including:

• If you smoke, quit!
• Keep smoke away from you and your family by asking people not to smoke in your home.
• Make sure your child's day care and schools are smoke-free.
• Use "No Smoking" signs, buttons and stickers at home, at work, and in your car.
• Eat in smoke-free environments.
• Seek a smoke-free worksite.
• Support clean air laws that protect you from ETS.

• Secondhand Smoke Brochure for Hispanics (in English) -- Publication #1453C
• Secondhand Smoke Brochure for African Americans - Publication #1452C