Is secondhand smoke REALLY that bad for you?

I need a serious, unbiased answer.

If you're going to say "OMGZ it'z lyke SOOOO bad 4 u!", go do a TRUTH commercial. I want a real answer.

What kind of effects can it have on you?
Is secondhand smoke REALLY worse than... firsthand smoke?

Thanks, guys!

i think it is REALLY that bad for you.

consider this--you're in a car pool with 3 other people. its winter and you're the only non-smoker in the car. its so cold that people only want to crack a window a little bit. your commute is 1.5 hours long. all three of the other smokers have at least a partial benefit of a filter on their 'first-hand-smoke'. they and you don't have any filter for the second hand smoke.

all that nasty smoke goes into your lungs unfiltered. at least the filter removes some of the gunk. yeah, i would say that second hand smoke is bad news.

so just imagine, every day your lungs get exposed to 3 hours worth of second hand smoke, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year for an average work span of 30 years. yeah, i'd say your lungs would definitely be worse for the wear after that experience.

No, it's not that bad for you.

I can't answer from a medical standpoint, because I'm not a doctor.
But the way I see it is... unless you're talking about the smoke coming RIGHT off the cigarette, the smoke is filtered twice. Once by the cigarette and once by a person's lungs.
So it's not necessarily as bad as physically SMOKING a cigarette, but yes, it is still harmful.

I used to smoke that was bad on me, I'm suffering the consequences now, my kids show no effect from it but I wish I had never smoked around them knowing what I know now.

Yes its bad for you because i learned that thousands of thousands of people die from second hand smoke each year.But first hand smoke is worse because your actully breathing it in you on a stick that has todacco in it on something.

That's all I can afford now days with what the price cigarettes have gone to. Now I'll live twice as long though.

it is reely bad. it is worse than smoking urself because the chemicals dont get filtered out. i ve seen many people who have never smoked before die of lung cancer because someone they know smokes. if someone you know is smoking, pleeze talk to them. thay re being munipulated by the tabacco company!!!!

Yes, second hand smoke is bad for you! If your breathing in second hand smoke, you may as well smoke one yourself. You are still breathing in all those toxins that are in cigarettes. Over a period of time it can cause asthma, bronchitis , you can develop a smmokers cough. Its nasty and hazardous to your health!

I believe the majority of these people answering are right and their answers make sense.Second hand being worse than firsthand, I dont agree with that,even tho its not filtered, its more highly diluted with air by the time it gets to you.

Its not WORSE, but it is bad for you since you too are inhaling the smoke. The first burn of the cigarette is worse, although I forgot why.
Kids especially can develop asthma and other problems with their respitory sytem
but like i said it is for sure not worse.
Plus, you know how people tend to congregate and smoke like outside? thats worse too hence some of the new laws

p.s., i dont understand the filter thing, it sounds like BS since they puff it thru the filter and then blow it out, so technically - it is filtered for you

No, the US Supreme Court overrulled the EPA's statements on 2nd hand smoke and ruled that it was junk science. Plain and simple.

There is plenty of unbiased research out there that debunks the junk science of 2nd hand smoke (also called ETS, Environmental Tobacco Smoke)

Hope this helps.