The Dangerous of Secondhand Smoke

Being around tobacco smoke is bad for you, even if it's someone else's smoke.

When someone smokes a cigarette, most of the smoke doesn't go into their lungs. It goes into the air, where anyone nearby can breathe it.

Smoking is banned in many public places. But many people are still exposed to secondhand smoke, especially children who live with parents who smoke. Even people who try to be careful about where they light up may not protect those around them.

Why Secondhand Smoke is More Dangerous 

Second-hand smoke contains a lethal mix of more than 4,000 chemicals such as arsenic, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia and carbon monoxide. Two hundred of these chemicals have been identified as poisonous and can cause cancer.

Second-hand smoke is when you are exposed to the harms of tobacco being smoked near you. This can be from exhaled smoke or from a lit cigarette. Second-hand smoke is the leading environmental cause of death in this country. There is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke and those who are exposed may suffer from many of the same diseases as regular smokers, such as coronary heart disease, lung cancer, acute stroke, eye and nasal irritation and nasal sinus cancer.

Secondhand Smoke as Human Carcinogen

Secondhand smoke is classified as a “known human carcinogen” (cancer-causing agent) by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US National Toxicology Program, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC – a branch of the World Health Organization).

Second hand Smoke has been linked to lung cancer. There is also some evidence suggesting it might be linked to lymphoma, leukemia, and brain tumors in children, and cancers of the larynx (voice box), pharynx (throat), nasal sinuses, brain, bladder, rectum, stomach, and breast in adults.

Secondhand Smoke and Children's Health

IARC reported in 2009 that parents who smoked before and during pregnancy were more likely to have a child with hepatoblastoma. This rare liver cancer is thought to start while the child is still in the uterus. Compared with non-smoking parents, the risk was about twice as high if only one parent smoked, but nearly 5 times higher when both parents smoked.

Children are our most valuable asset and are particularly vulnerable to second-hand smoke due to their smaller lungs and lower body weight. Children need to be protected from second-hand smoke as much as possible as it can cause:

• Middle ear infections (including glue ear/otitis media)
• Lower respiratory illnesses (including croup, bronchitis, bronchiolitis and pneumonia)
• The onset of asthma and worsening of asthmatic symptoms
• Reduced lung growth
• Sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI also known as SIDS or cot death)
• Meningococcal disease
• Child’s learning development and behaviour.

Exposure to second-hand smoke during pregnancy can reduce fetal growth and other complications.

How to Avoid Secondhand Smoke

It's simple: Avoid being around people who are smoking, and try to convince those around you who smoke to quit. Anyone who does smoke should do so outside, as far away from other people as possible.

Your home is probably the most important place to keep smoke-free, especially if you have children. Keeping kids (and adults) far away from smoke can help lower their chances of having respiratory infections, severe asthma, cancer, and many other serious conditions.

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How Smoking Ruins Your Appearance

If you smoke, you already know you need to quit. It’s bad for your heart, lungs, brain, and even your sex life. 

But let’s face it: You’d have kicked the habit yesterday if smoking’s ill effects were a bit more obvious. What if each cigarette created a black pockmark on your face, for instance? 

Well, smoking does damage your looks. Read on to discover how smoking is ruining your appearance.

1. You will Get Eye Bags easily

Don’t you hate it when you can’t get a good night’s sleep—and it shows on your face? If you smoke, you’re four times as likely as nonsmokers to report feeling unrested after a night’s sleep, according to Johns Hopkins study. 

Why the lack of shut-eye? It’s possible that nightly nicotine withdrawal could be causing you to toss and turn. And unfortunately, poor sleep doesn’t equal pretty

2. Psoriasis

To be fair, psoriasis is an autoimmune-related skin condition that can show up even if you never touch a cigarette. However, if you do smoke, your risk for the scaly skin condition goes up—a lot. 

According to a 2007 study, if you puff a pack a day for 10 years or less, psoriasis risk goes up 20%; 11–20 years and your risk is 60% higher; and for those who pass the two-decade mark, the psoriasis risk more than doubles. (Even secondhand smoke during pregnancy or childhood is linked to a higher risk.)

3. Brown Teeth and Tooth Loss

Wouldn’t you love to have a set of dazzling white, Hollywood-like choppers? If you smoke, you can kiss that dream good-bye. It’s the nicotine in cigarettes that can stain your teeth. Not only that, smoking puts you at greater risk for all kinds of dental problems, including oral cancer and gum disease. 

In fact, according to a 2005 U.K. study in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, smokers are up to six times more likely than nonsmokers to develop gum disease, which can lead to tooth loss. So in addition to the escalating costs of buying and smoking your cigs, add in the cost of tooth whitening. A professional procedure to clean your teeth costs an average of $500 to $1,000.

Wouldn’t you rather be doing, well, anything other than sitting in a dentist’s chair?

4. Premature aging and wrinkles

We can all appreciate a wizened visage—on our favorite nonagenarian that is. Wrinkles look anything but wise when they show up on a relatively young person who smokes. 

And show up they will. Experts agree that smoking accelerates aging, so that smokers look 1.4 years older than nonsmokers, on average. 

Why the wrinkly face? Smoking hampers the blood supply that keeps skin tissue looking supple and healthy.

5. Thinner hair

As if the wrinkly skin wasn’t enough, smoking hurts your hair too. Experts think the toxic chemicals in smoke can damage the DNA in hair follicles and generate cell-damaging free radicals as well. 

The end result? Smokers have thinner hair that tends to go gray sooner than nonsmokers. That is, if they have any hair at all. 

Men who smoke are about twice as likely to lose their hair as nonsmokers, after taking into account factors that increase the risk of baldness, such as aging and genetics, according to a 2007 study in Taiwan.

6. Slower Wound Healing

Several studies have found that smokers do not heal as well after surgeries such as face-lifts, tooth extractions, and periodontal procedures. 

So once cigarettes wrinkle up your face, you’ll have a harder time correcting the damage with cosmetic surgery than people who’ve never smoked. (And your surgeon might not even perform the procedure until you agree to kick the habit.)

7. Smoking cause Skin Cancer too

Smoking is a leading cause of cancer, including lung, throat, mouth, and esophageal cancer, so it should be no surprise that cigarettes can also increase your risk of skin cancer. 

In fact, according to a 2001 study, smokers are three times as likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common type of skin cancer, than nonsmokers.

Cut Your Smoking habits NOW!

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Why World No Tobacco Day

People, non-governmental organizations and governments unite on World No Tobacco Day to draw attention to the health problems that tobacco use can cause. It is held on May 31 each year.

SAY NO to Tobacco (Cigarette)

What do People Do on This Day?

World No Tobacco Day is a day for people, non-governmental organizations and governments organize various activities to make people aware of the health problems that tobacco use can cause. 

These activities include:

• Public marches and demonstrations, often with vivid banners.
• Advertising campaigns and educational programs.
• People going into public places to encourage people to stop smoking.
• The introduction of bans on smoking in particular places or types of advertising.
• Meetings for anti-tobacco campaigners.

Moreover, laws restricting smoking in particular areas may come into effect and wide reaching health campaigns may be launched.

Why SAY NO to Tobacco?

Tobacco is a product of the fresh leaves of nicotiana plants. It is used as an aid in spiritual ceremonies and a recreational drug. It originated in the Americas, but was introduced to Europe by Jean Nicot, the French ambassador to Portugal in 1559. It quickly became popular and an important trade crop.

Tobacco intake increase the likelihood of many diseases

Medical research made it clear during the 1900s that tobacco use increased the likelihood of many illnesses including heart attacks, strokes, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), emphysema and many forms of cancer. This is true for all ways in which tobacco is used, including:

• Cigarettes and cigars.
• Hand rolling tobacco.
• Bidis and kreteks (cigarettes containing tobacco with herbs or spices).
• Pipes and water pipes.
• Chewing tobacco.
• Snuff.
• Snus (a moist version of snuff popular in some countries such as Sweden).
• Creamy snuff (a paste consisting of tobacco, clove oil, glycerin, spearmint, menthol, and camphor sold in a toothpaste tube popular in India).
• Gutkha (a version of chewing tobacco mixed with areca nut, catechu, slaked lime and other condiments popular in India and South-East Asia).

Cut the habits

On May 15, 1987, the World Health Organization passed a resolution, calling for April 7, 1988, to be the first World No Smoking Day. This date was chosen because it was the 40th anniversary of the World Health Organization. On May 17, 1989, the World Health Organization passed a resolution calling for May 31 to be annually known as World No Tobacco Day. This event has been observed each year since 1989.

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Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking

Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body and it causes many diseases and reduces the health of smokers in general.

Quitting smoking lowers your risk for smoking-related diseases and can add years to your life.

Smoking is the Leading Preventable Cause of Death.

Smoking causes more deaths each year than all of these combined:

• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
• Illegal drug use
• Alcohol use
• Motor vehicle injuries
• Firearm-related incidents
• Smoking causes about 90% (or 9 out of 10) of all lung cancer deaths in men and women. More women die from lung cancer each year than from breast cancer.
• About 80% (or 8 out of 10) of all deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are caused by smoking.
• Cigarette smoking increases risk for death from all causes in men and women.
• The risk of dying from cigarette smoking has increased over the last 50 years in men and women in the world

Smoking and Increased Health Risks

Smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to develop heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer.
Smoking is estimated to increase the risk—

• For coronary heart disease by 2 to 4 times
• For stroke by 2 to 4 times
• Of men developing lung cancer by 25 times
• Of women developing lung cancer by 25.7 times

Smoking causes diminished overall health, such as self-reported poor health, increased absenteeism from work, and increased health care utilization and cost.

Smoking can increase risk for hypertension

Smoking and Cardiovascular Disease

• Smokers are at greater risk for diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular disease).
• Smoking can causes stroke and coronary heart disease.
• Even people who smoke fewer than five cigarettes a day can have early signs of cardiovascular disease.
• Smoking damages blood vessels and can make them thicken and grow narrower. This makes your heart beat faster and your blood pressure go up. 
• Smoking can cause clot formation in your blood vessels.
• A heart attack occurs when a clot blocks the blood flow to your heart. When this happens, your heart cannot get enough oxygen. This damages the heart muscle, and part of the heart muscle can die.
• A stroke occurs when a clot blocks the blood flow to part of your brain or when a blood vessel in or around your brain bursts.
• Arteries Blockages caused by smoking can also reduce blood flow to your legs and skin.

Smoking and Respiratory Disease

• Smoking can cause lung disease by damaging your airways and the small air sacs (alveoli) found in your lungs.
• Lung diseases caused by smoking include COPD, which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
• Cigarette smoking causes most cases of lung cancer.
• If you have asthma, tobacco smoke can trigger an attack or make an attack worse.
• Smokers are 12 to 13 times more likely to die from COPD than nonsmokers.

Smoking can cause lung disease

Smoking and Cancer
Smoking can cause cancer almost anywhere in your body:

• Bladder
• Blood (acute myeloid leukemia)
• Cervix
• Colon and rectum (colorectal)
• Esophagus
• Kidney and ureter
• Larynx
• Liver
• Oropharynx (includes parts of the throat, tongue, soft palate, and the tonsils)
• Pancreas
• Stomach
• Trachea, bronchus, and lung

Smoking increases the risk of dying from cancer and other diseases in cancer patients and survivors.

Smoking and Lung Cancer

Smoking and Soon-become Mother Health Risks

Smoking can make it harder for a woman to become pregnant and can affect her baby's health before and after birth. Smoking increases risks for:

• Preterm (early) delivery
• Stillbirth (death of the baby before birth)
• Low birth weight
• Sudden infant death syndrome (known as SIDS or crib death)
• Ectopic pregnancy
• Orofacial clefts in infants
• Smoking can also affect men's sperm, which can reduce fertility and also increase risks for birth defects and miscarriage (loss of the pregnancy).
• Smoking can affect bone health.
• Women past childbearing years who smoke have lower bone density (weaker bones) than women who never smoked and are at greater risk for broken bones.
• Smoking affects the health of your teeth and gums and can cause tooth loss.
• Smoking can increase your risk for cataracts (clouding of the eye’s lens that makes it hard for you to see) and age-related macular degeneration (damage to a small spot near the center of the retina, the part of the eye needed for central vision).
• Smoking is a cause of type 2 diabetes mellitus and can make it harder to control. The risk of developing diabetes is 30–40% higher for active smokers than nonsmokers.
• Smoking causes general adverse effects on the body. It can cause inflammation and adverse effects on immune function.
• Smoking is a cause of rheumatoid arthritis.

Smoking mother can affect her baby's health

Quitting and Reduced Risks

• Quitting smoking cuts cardiovascular risks. Just 1 year after quitting smoking, your risk for a heart attack drops sharply.
• Within 2 to 5 years after quitting smoking, your risk for stroke could fall to about the same as a nonsmoker’s.
• If you quit smoking, your risks for cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder drop by half within 5 years.
• Ten years after you quit smoking, your risk for lung cancer drops by half.

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