The dangers of and effects of second hand smoke have been widely publicized. It is now well known that victims of secondary smoke exposure are much more likely to develop smoke related illnesses including lung cancer, asthma and other cancers in the body. Second hand smoke has also been linked to lesser chronic lung problems like chronic bronchitis and pneumonia, heart disease, eye and nose irritation and sinus cancer. Although it is not clear what amount of second hand smoke must be inhaled in order to spark these illnesses, the link between a number of medical conditions and second hand smoke is clear.
People affected by second hand smoke are inhaling not only the smoke that is emitted to the air from the lit cigarette, but also the smoke being exhaled from the smoker themselves. They are inhaling and being exposed to many of the same carcinogenic chemicals as the smoker and can therefore develop similar health problems. If a person is forced into second hand smoke exposure, they may have a case against the workplace, person or organization that has forced this dangerous smoke upon them.
For instance, in some cases, workers have been forced into environments with smokers, although they are not smokers themselves. Flight attendants and wait staff are both good examples of employees who have been exposed to second hand smoke simply because of their profession. Today there has been a major movement to make these work environments safer for employees, now that the dangers of second hand smoke are known.
In some cases, employees exposed to long term second hand smoke have been able to sue their employers for creating and exposing them to a dangerous and unhealthy work environment. Just this year in fact, a lawsuit pending in Georgia was settled, to the benefit of the plaintiff, in regards to this issue. The man, a worker for the railroad, was consistently exposed to cigarette smoke in bunkhouses where smoking was permitted. He developed lung cancer and died and his widow pursued the claim. Although the case did not make it to court, the settlement did favor the plaintiff – an indication of where the case might have gone had it been completed.
There are also a number of class action lawsuits, brought by flight attendants, against various airlines for providing a dangerous work environment when smoking was allowed on flights. Specifically, in one case, a group of Northwest flight attendants banded together and brought a class action lawsuit against Northwest Airlines because they were exposed to secondhand smoke on long flights to Asia long after smoking was banned on domestic flights in the US.
If you feel you have been forced to endure second hand smoke and secondary smoke exposure and that it was beyond your control to leave the situation, you should consider contacting an experienced tobacco lawsuit attorney. Depending on your case, and any applied statutes of limitations, you might have a claim for compensatory damages. Tobacco lawsuits can be hard to win, but if you have been injured because of tobacco or cigarettes, and specifically secondary smoke exposure, you should contact an attorney as soon as possible.