Passive smoke, also known as second hand smoke or environmental tobacco smoke, is what is involuntarily inhaled by an individual.
Passive smoking is just as harmful as active smoking, putting you at the risk of ailments such as heart disease, cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, bronchitis, and asthma. Anyone who is exposed to cigarette smoke owing to a partner, who smokes, is 20% to 30% more at risk of developing lung cancer. Also, passive smoking has been found to increase the *** cancer risk by 70% in younger women, primarily pre-menopausal women. It increases the risk of ear infections, premature birth in case of pregnant women, and risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and other illnesses in children such as asthma, lung infections, bronchitis, allergies, and Crohn's Disease. An alarming number of 700 million children, almost half of all children worldwide, live in the home of a smoker.
Cigarette smoke is an irritant to the eye, throat, and skin, resulting in eye irritation, headache, cough, sore throat, dizziness and nausea.
There is an increased risk of death, with cigarette smoke killing 53,000 nonsmokers per year, making it the 3rd leading cause of preventable death in the US, as well as, in children. People who are already at risk of a heart attack become increasingly susceptible because tobacco smoke quickly and substantially affects the blood and blood vessels. A reduced exposure to cigarette smoking also cuts down the risk of heart attacks.
Passive smokers are also exposed to the same carcinogens as active smokers, such as formaldehyde, lead, arsenic, benzene, and radioactive polonium 210 and several others. Moreover environmental tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 chemical compounds. Sidestream smoke, which comes from the burning end of a smoldering cigarette and contributes to passive smoking, has been found to be more harmful than mainstream smoke, which is the directly inhaled smoke.
It is owing to the many perils associated with cigarette smoking, that there is usually a ban on smoking in public places. However, it is the repeated exposure to second hand smoke that increases the risks of a heart attack and other ailments in a healthy non-smoker.
The only way to fully protect yourself and your loved ones from the dangers of second hand smoke is through 100 per cent smoke-free environments. The single best way to create a smoke free environment is to Quit Smoking. Planning, a strong will, and effective support systems help in the process. Intensive psychotherapeutic interventions, along with pharmacotherapy reduce the withdrawal symptoms. Nicotine Replacement therapy is another way to effectively manage cravings for tobacco.
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