GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT SECOND HAND SMOKE

Every time someone lights a cigarette, pipe, or cigar, tobacco smoke enters the air from two sources:

	"Side-stream smoke" goes directly into the air from the burning end
	"Main-stream smoke" occurs when a smoker pulls through the mouthpiece, inhales, and     then exhales into the air.

A cigarette smoker inhales and exhales smoke eight or nine times for a total of about 24 seconds, but the cigarette burns for 12 minutes and pollutes the air continuously. Some smokers can keep cigars and pipes burning for even longer than 12 minutes.

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SOME SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT EXPOSURE TO SECOND HAND SMOKE

The surprising fact is that side-stream smoke has higher concentrations of noxious compounds than the main-stream smoke inhaled by the smoker. Some studies show there is twice as much tar and nicotine in side-stream smoke compared to main-stream smoke, as well as three times as much of a compound called 3-4 Benzopyrine, which is suspected to be a cancer causing agent. There is also 10 times as much carbon monoxide that robs the blood of oxygen and 50 times as much ammonia in second-hand smoke.

In addition, there is more cadmium in side-stream smoke than in main-stream. Cadmium is now under investigation as one of the agents in cigarette smoke that damages the air sacs of the lungs and causes emphysema. Once cadmium gets into your lungs, it stays there.

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas contained in tobacco smoke. When you inhale carbon monoxide, it destroys oxygen molecules in your red blood cells. As the amount of carbon monoxide increases in your blood, the cells of the blood become starved for oxygen. One study shows that after only 30 minutes in a smoke-filled room, the carbon monoxide level in a nonsmoker's blood increases along with blood pressure and heart beat. Exposure to second-hand smoke causes increased risk for asthma and bronchitis, and new studies indicate heart disease as well.

Another interesting discovery is that the human body actually attracts tobacco smoke. Burning tobacco smoke creates a high electrical potential. The smoke in a room gravitates and clings to people in much the same way as iron filings are drawn to a magnet. Chemicals in tobacco smoke, called aldehydes and ketones, supply the penetrating smell while the tars hold them to your skin and your clothes. But the smoker is not sensitive to the smell because of the destructive effects on the inner lining of his or her nose.

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ADVOCATING AGAINST SECOND HAND SMOKE

For further information on the effects of second-hand smoke and how you can advocate against it, contact the Centre County unit of the American Cancer Society, 123 South Sparks Street, in State College or call (814) 238-8908.

Students at campuses other than University Park should check their phone directory for the number of their local American Cancer Society.