THE LEVELS of tar and nicotine in secondhand smoke are twice that of the smoke actually being inhaled through the cigarette. � 6
A PERSON STANDING two feet away from a burning cigarette may inhale 10 times the cancer-causing chemicals than the person actually smoking the cigarette, because the smoke inhaled by the active smoker is filtered, while the smoke inhaled by the non-smoking bystander is not. � 7
MORE THAN 75% of U.S. white-collar workers are covered by smoke-free laws or policies. Yet only 43% of the country's 6.6 million restaurant and bar workers benefit from this level of protection and are significantly less protected than other workers. � 8
RESTAURANT AND BAR employees exposed to secondhand smoke in the workplace have a 50% greater risk of dying from lung cancer than the general population. � 9
SECONDHAND SMOKE TIMELINE:
5 MINUTES of exposure to secondhand smoke stiffens your aorta as much as smoking a cigarette.
30 MINUTES of exposure to secondhand smoke compromises a nonsmoker's coronary arteries to the same extent as that of a regular smoker.
120 MINUTES of exposure to secondhand smoke speeds up your heart rate and also dramatically increases your risk of heart attack and of developing an irregular heartbeat. � 10 |