Environmental Tobacco Smoke

Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS)
   Smoke that enters the atmosphere as a result of burning tobacco.

   ETS has been defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a dynamic, complex mixture of over 4,000 chemicals found in both vapor and particle phases, many of which are known toxic carcinogenic agents. It has been well documented over the years that ETS and second hand smoke cause or contribute to a range of sickness and disease. Asthma, chemical sensitivities, respiratory tract infections, and cancer are just a few of the results of continued exposure to ETS. Thousands of deaths in the United States are attributed to ETS each year.

The permeating nature of ETS makes it impossible for non-smokers to avoid inhaling the toxic chemicals. The EPA states that mainstream smoke, the smoke inhaled by the active smoker, and side-stream smoke, the emissions from the burning end of a cigar, cigarette, or pipe both contain the same toxic compounds. When ETS exists inside of a home, it is re-circulated by the HVAC system until it is ingested or adheres to a substrate surface.    ETS is not a naturally occurring byproduct of nature, and is only introduced to an indoor environment by a smoker. There is no likelihood that it can enter a home by any other means.

The tar and other toxic chemical emissions adhere to almost all surfaces within an indoor environment including:

Curtains Walls Windows Rugs Bedding Upholstered Items Mirrors Clothes

   It would literally take thousands of pages to document in effective detail the dangers that ETS, both second hand smoke and side-stream smoke can have on human health. ETS has been classified as a known carcinogen by the EPA, which estimates that it is responsible for the death of approximately 3,000 non-smokers due to lung cancer every year in the United States. This means that healthy individuals who have never smoked are at risk of developing lung cancer due to the presence of second hand smoke.

   Even more susceptible to the harmful effects of ETS are children’s lungs. Exposure to ETS in infants up to the age of three has been shown to double the instances of pneumonia, bronchitis, middle ear infection, reduced lung function, and reduced lung growth. ETS has been firmly associated with lung and other cancers, emphysema and other chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as cardiovascular diseases.

Those at most risk of the negative effects of ETS are:

• Infants and young children, whose bodies are still developing that are exposed to poisons in second hand smoke are more likely to develop asthma, frequent upper respiratory infections, persistent ear infections, snoring, bronchitis, pneumonia, and many other debilitating infections. It may also hinder the growth of their lungs and other organs for the rest of their lives.
• The elderly and those with suppressed immune systems.
• Individuals with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) may be affected by odors or even minute traces from secondary tobacco smoke.
• The unborn children of mothers that are exposed to ETS. 35% of mothers of children with mental retardation had smoked during pregnancy, as reported by the CDC and Emory University.
• Dogs, cats, rodents, birds, and other household pets. Second hand smoke has been shown by the CDC as dramatically increasing lung diseases in dogs and cats.

   The CDC has identified 43 known cancer-causing agents (carcinogens) in second hand smoke, including tar, carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, phenols, ammonia, formaldehyde, benzene, nitrosamine, and nicotine.

   The debilitating effects of second hand smoke to the immune system leaves the body vulnerable, allowing virtually every documented form of sickness or disease to have greater effect upon contact with a weakened body.