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The link between tobacco use, heart disease and lung cancer are no longer disputed and it is also strongly linked to the onset and progression of vascular (circulatory) disease. Vascular disease is any clogging of arteries (atherosclerosis), inflammation or weakness in the arteries and veins.
Passive Smoking - The Facts
Breathing other people's smoke is called passive, involuntary or secondhand smoking. The non-smoker breathes smoke from the burning tip of the cigarette and that exhaled by the smoker. Second-hand smoke (SHS) is a major source of indoor air pollution.
Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals in the form of particles and gases, 60 of which are known or suspected carcinogens (cancer causing chemicals).
However, more recently the scientific case that SHS damages the health of third parties has been emerging, with extensive evidence supporting this being published. Second-hand smoke has twice as much nicotine and tar as the smoke that smokers inhale. It also has five times the carbon monoxide which decreases the amount of oxygen in the blood. The evidence identifies passive smoking as a risk factor for:
Smokefree England Regulations