How dangerous is passive smoking?
(Baonghean.vn) - Passive smoking is the inhalation of a mixture of smoke including smoke from burning cigarettes and smoke exhaled by smokers. Non-smokers can inhale this smoke, thereby being exposed to the same chemicals as direct smoking such as nicotine and carbon monoxide.
Passive smoking and children
Exposure to secondhand smoke also puts children at risk for conditions such as severe asthma, breathing problems, and ear infections. Babies born to mothers who breathe secondhand smoke are also more likely to have lower birth weights and a higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Chemicals in secondhand smoke can also pass into babies through breast milk.
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The main source of secondhand smoke is cigarette smoke. Smoke from cigars or pipes is also a source of secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke can occur anywhere, at home, at work, and in public places.
Health risks of passive smoking
There are more than 7,000 different chemicals in cigarette smoke. Of these, about 250 are harmful and 69 are known to cause cancer. Some of the toxic chemicals found in cigarette smoke include arsenic, benzene, toxic metals such as beryllium, cadmium, ethylene oxide, formaldehyde, toluene, and vinyl chloride.
Cigarette smoke is also a cause of cancer. In addition to cancer, cigarette smoke also causes dangerous diseases of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems as well as other diseases.
Lung cancer
Living with a smoker and regularly breathing in secondhand smoke can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease by 20-30%. About 3,000 non-smokers die from lung cancer due to exposure to secondhand smoke.
Cardiovascular disease
Secondhand smoke can damage the cardiovascular system and can increase the risk of heart attack, especially in people with existing heart disease. Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke have a 25-30% higher risk of developing heart disease. Exposure to secondhand smoke causes about 46,000 deaths from heart disease each year. The risk of stroke also increases with regular exposure to secondhand smoke.
Lung and other respiratory diseases
Secondhand smoke can irritate the lungs and cause respiratory problems and difficulty breathing. Coughing, chest tightness due to phlegm, wheezing, shortness of breath, and decreased lung function are all consequences of breathing secondhand smoke. In the United States, among children under 18 months of age, there are approximately 150,000-300,000 cases of bronchitis and pneumonia each year due to secondhand smoke exposure, and there are approximately 7,500-15,000 hospitalizations each year due to secondhand smoke.
Effects on pregnant women
Infants born to mothers who regularly inhale cigarette smoke tend to have lower birth weights and are at higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).