Second Hand Smoking: Medical or Physiological Effects

Secondhand smoke is a combination of the smoke produced from a burning cigarette and the smoke exhaled by the smoker. Second-hand smoke is also known as passive smoke or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Mostly the term second-hand smoke is used as opposed to ETS because the latter infers a relationship between tobacco smoke and the environment in general resulting in confusion about its exact meaning. Such environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) can be easily recognized by its distinctive odor as it contaminates the air and gets retained in clothing, curtains and furniture, etc.

However, it is not just limited to irritation; ETS represents a dangerous health hazards across the globe. Over 4,000 different chemicals have been identified in ETS, and around 50 of these chemicals are known carcinogens. Some of the commonly found chemicals in secondhand smoke include, but are not limited to:

• Benzopyrenes: These are otherwise found in coal tar, one of the most potent cancer-causing chemicals.
• Formaldehyde: It is normally used to preserve dead animals.
• Hydrogen cyanide: It is used in rat poison!
• Ammonia: It is used to clean floors and toilets.

Breathing second-hand smoke can be more dangerous than inhaling smoke through a cigarette. It has twice as much nicotine and tar as the smoke that people smoking inhale and five times more carbon monoxide, a deadly gas that starves your body of oxygen.

Harmful effects of Passive Smoking:

People who do not smoke, and who are exposed to the toxic chemicals in second-hand smoke on a regular basis, can suffer serious and life-threatening health problems. In the long term, people exposed to second-hand smoke have a greater risk of suffering from lung cancer, nasal sinus cancer, heart disease, stroke, and breathing problems, including increased coughing, wheezing, pneumonia, bronchitis, and asthma. In fact every time a person breathes in second-hand smoke, he/she consumes over 100 harmful chemical agents - carcinogens and toxins.

People who live with someone who smokes and are exposed to tobacco smoke on a regular basis have around 30 per cent increased risk of developing lung cancer and heart disease. Even as little as 8 to 20 minutes of passive smoking can cause physical reactions linked to heart disease and stroke, such as increased heart rate, less oxygen to the heart, and constricted blood vessels that increases blood pressure and makes the heart work harder.

Effects on Infants:

Children are at even higher risk because their lungs are still in a stage of development and can be more easily damaged by second-hand smoke. Infants also inhale more amount of the smoke because they breathe much faster than adults. Infants who breathe second-hand smoke have a greater chance of dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), also known as crib death. More than three times as many infants die from second-hand smoke-related SIDS as from child abuse or homicide. Effects of tobacco smoking on children is more than adult person. Children who are exposed to second-hand smoke have double the risk of getting bronchitis and pneumonia.

Second-hand smoke can affect children's behavior and their ability to understand and reason. Studies have shown that children who are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke score lower on tests in reading, math, logic and reasoning skills. For children with asthma, exposure to even small amounts of second-hand smoke can trigger an asthma attack. Breathing second-hand smoke can increase the number of asthma attacks. Exposing children with asthma to second-hand smoke in the home increases the number of emergency room visits and hospital stays. Exposure to second-hand smoke can cause children without asthma to develop it.