I have written this new article on second hand smoke and its effects on the world to show yet more information and answer a few questions that I have been asked on the subject. A few want to know what effects that it has on the environment, while others where mad that I had went against smoking in public places. Let me make clear that I am simply relaying the facts in this article and that although I do believe that smoking in all public areas, and around any child should be illegal that I am simply going over facts in this article. It is well known today that many people are allergic to second hand smoke and the chemicals it contains; it is also well known that more and more people are developing the allergy each year. It is also known that second hand smoke is dangerous to individuals with asthma, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease, and many other health issues.
It is for these reasons that it is not safe to smoke in public places, however as mentioned above I will leave out my personal opinion in this article and only relay the facts.
Some people may not even know what secondhand smoke is. Here is a brief definition of it. Secondhand smoke (SHS) is a mixture of the smoke trailing off the lit end of a cigarette, cigar, or pipe and the smoke that's exhaled by the smoker. A big cloud of smoke isn't the only danger, because some deadly gases present in SHS are invisible, and can linger in the air for hours after the cigarette has been put out.
Many people think of passive smoke exposure as a minor issue, and that those who are concerned are being a little extreme. However the truth is that inhalation of secondhand smoke is a major health concern, despite what many smoking advocates have to say about it. Smoking releases toxic gases and nicotine isn't the only dangerous chemical found in the bodies of people exposed to secondhand smoke. These are just a few of the other deadly chemicals found in SHS carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, hydrazine, formaldehyde, benzene, N-nitrosodimethylamine, nitrogen oxide as well as over 4,000 other chemical compounds including arsenic and ammonia. These disease causing hydrocarbons reach their highest concentrations in secondhand smoke, and have a huge effect on non-smokers. The impact of SHS is so large that it masked the effect of active smoking in many studies. These gases can be especially dangerous to children and babies whose little bodies are still in the development stage.
The fact alone that there are fewer concentrations of these deadly chemicals in the smoker than in the smoker's family should be enough of a reason to quit smoking. Smokers are harming their loved ones more than they are themselves. In the measuring of blood levels of a breakdown product of nicotine called cotinine, investigators have been able compare the amount taken in by smokers and bystanders breathing in the second hand smoke. Studies have shown that cotinine levels in spouses and children of smokers are higher than in the smokers themselves. The chemicals found in secondhand smoke are the same as those inhaled by the active smoker. However, because their combustion is incomplete, the concentration is 100 times higher. Second-hand smoke contains six times more nicotine, three times more tar and 73 times more ammonia than smoke inhaled by the smoker.
According to the American Lung Association and The Lung Association of Quebec two-thirds of the smoke produced by tobacco spreads into the surrounding air. Anyone within close range of the smoker breathes in the tobacco smoke and therefore becomes a victim of SHS. According to one study conducted on SHS just 30 minutes of exposure causes the level of carbon monoxide in the blood to rise and in turn causes their blood pressure and pulse to rise.
Some of the effects of SHS that can heal are irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, headaches, dizziness, nausea, aggravation and speeding up of lung disease, reduction of protective/good cholesterol in blood, and increased risk of cold, flu, bronchitis, and pneumonia. Although these effects can heal, the underlying problems remain. Some of the effects in infants and children are doubling the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and an increased risk of bronchiolitis, pneumonia, tonsillitis, and asthma. Children with at least one smoking parent have a 25% to 40% increased risk of chronic respiratory symptoms such as cough, excess phlegm, wheezing, and breathlessness. These particular effects are what are believed to be the cause of the higher number of children each year having to have a tonsillectomy. Although these effects are not always fatal (except in cases of SIDS) there are still long-term effects to go along with these. SHS is responsible for approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the U.S. as well as many other types of cancer.
