The Real Reason

PASSIVE SMOKING

Is Soooo Bad For You!!!

 

Breathing other peoples’ smoke is called ‘PASSIVE’, involuntary or second-hand smoking. The non-smoker breathes “sidestream” smoke from the burning tip of the cigarette and “mainstream” smoke that has been inhaled and then exhaled by the smoker. Second hand smoke (SHS) is a major source of indoor pollution.

WHAT’S IN SMOKE?

Tobacco smoke contains over 4000 chemicals in the form of particles and gases. Many potentially toxic gases are present in higher concentrations in sidestream smoke than in mainstream smoke and nearly 85% of the smoke in a room results from sidestream smoke.

The particular phase includes tar (itself composed of many chemicals), Nicotine, Benzene and Benzo (a) pyrene. The gas phase includes carbon monoxide, ammonia, dimethylnitrosamine, formaldehyde, hydrogen cynide and acrolein. Some of these have marked irritant properties and some 60 are known or suspected carcinogens (cancer causing substances).

HOW DOES THIS AFFECT THE PASSIVE SMOKER?

Some of the immediate effects of passive smoking include eye irritation, headache, cough, sore throat, dizziness and nausea. Adults with Ashma can experience a significant decline in lung function when exposed, while new cases of asthma may be induced in children whose parents smoke.

Short term exposure to tobacco smoke also has a measurable effect on the heart in non-smokers. Just 30 minutes' exposure is enough to reduce coronary blood flow.

In the longer term, passive smokers suffer an increased risk of a range of smoking related diseases. Non-smokers, who are exposed to passive smoking in the home, have a 25% increased risk of heart disease and lung cancer.

A major review by the Government-appointed Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health (SCOTH) concluded that passive smoking is a cause of lung cancer and ischaemic heart disease in adult non-smokers, and a cause of respiratory disease, cot death, middle ear disease and asthmatic attacks in children.

A more recent review of the evidence by SCOTH found that the conclusions of its initial report still stand i.e. that there is a “casual effect of exposure to second hand smoke on the risks of lung cancer, ischaemic heart disease and a strong link to adverse effects in children”.

A review of risks of cancer from exposure to second hand smoke by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) noted that “the evidence is sufficient to conclude that involuntary smoking is a cause of lung cancer in never smokers”.

One study found that in households where both parents smoke, young children have a 72% increased risk of respiratory illnesses.

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