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What is Secondhand Smoke?
Secondhand smoke (SHS) is a mixture of the smoke that comes from
the burning end of a cigarette, cigar or pipe, and from the smoke
exhaled by a smoker. SHS is also called "environmental tobacco smoke
(ETS) ", "passive smoking" or "involuntary smoking".
Nationally, secondhand smoke kills 60,000 nonsmokers and is known
to cause lung cancer, heart disease, nasal sinus cancer, respiratory
disease, bronchitis, middle ear infections, asthma, and pneumonia.
In children, secondhand smoke causes 436,000 cases of bronchitis
and 190,000 cases of pneumonia each year.
Secondhand smoke contains nearly 5,000 chemical compounds including
arsenic (poisen), hydrogen cyanide (gas chamber poisen), carbon
monixide (car exhaust fumes), formaldehyde (preserver - body tissue
and fabric), methonal (rocket fuel), actone (nail polish remover),
metals(lead, copper, silver and others), and cancer causing agents
(Polonium 210, nitrosamines, Benzo(a)pyrene, and others).
SHAC
The Smoke-Free Housing Action Committee (SHAC) is a subcommittee
of the Colorado Tobacco Education Prevention Alliance which deals
with secondhand smoke pollution in homes located in multiunit housing
developments. Members of the committee advise tenants and landlords
of actions being taken by occupants of multiunit housing developments
across the United States and advise them on what actions to take
to help keep secondhand smoke from intruding into their homes.
A website listing smoke-free housing developments is still under
construction but it is set to launch in January 2008. SHAC holds
regular conference calls on smoke free housing issues. For information
about the conference calls or to receive information about smoke-free
housing issues, please contact:
GASP of Colorado
2885 Aurora Ave Suite 37
Boulder CO 80303-2252
Phone: (303) 444-9799
info@gaspforair.com
The Smokefree Colorado Website provides Colorado residents
with information about the dangers of secondhand smoke and links
them to many organizations addressing secondhand smoke issues throughout
the state.
http://www.smokefreecolorado.org
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