Smokefree Law in New Zealand
Second-hand smoke

Second-hand smoke comes from two places:

• smoke breathed out by the person who smokes, and

• smoke from the end of a burning cigarette.

It contains a lethal mix of more than 4,000 chemicals, including ingredients used in products such as paint stripper, moth balls, toilet cleaner, car batteries and car exhaust - 200 are poisons, 43 cause cancer.

Prior to enactment of the smokefree legislation amendment, around 350 New Zealanders died each year because of exposure to second-hand smoke, and many others became sick. This made second-hand smoke exposure the leading environmental cause of death in this country.

Second-hand smoke is known to cause cancer in humans and has been linked to the development of lung cancer, heart disease, stroke and respiratory illnesses such as asthma.

It’s particularly dangerous for children and each year in New Zealand is linked to:

• more than 500 hospital admissions for chest infections in under two-year-olds

• 1500 operations for glue ear

• almost 15,000 episodes of childhood asthma

• 50 deaths from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS, or cot death).

For more information about second-hand smoke see www.secondhandsmoke.co.nz and www.smokefreehomes.co.nz.

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In this section:

Second-hand smoke

Second-hand smoke resources

Page last updated 27 May 2005