Smoke Without Fire: The Deadly Consequences Of Passive Smoking

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Secondhand smoke harms health, raising risks of heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer. It triggers asthma in kids, harms pregnant women, and contains 7,000 toxins. No safe exposure level exists.

2024-12-24T13:41:00+05:00 Amna Nawaz

Adults who do not smoke but are around secondhand smoke have a 25–30% higher chance of getting coronary heart disease. Adults who do not smoke but are around secondhand smoke have a 20–30% higher risk of stroke. Blood platelets can become stickier and the lining of blood vessels can be harmed by even brief exposure to secondhand smoke. An elevated risk of heart attack may result from these alterations. The negative consequences of secondhand smoke are most likely to affect people who already have heart disease. To prevent even short exposures, they should take extra care. Adults who do not smoke but are around secondhand smoke have a 20–30% higher chance of getting lung cancer. Those who do not smoke but are exposed to secondhand smoke are breathing in many of the same toxins and chemicals that cause cancer as smokers. Even a short period of secondhand smoke exposure can harm body cells in ways that initiate the cancer process.

Similar to active smoking, the risk of lung cancer increases with the length of time and degree of secondhand smoke exposure. Wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath are more common in children exposed to secondhand smoke. Whose parents smoke nearby? Additionally, they experience fluid in their ears more frequently and undergo more ear tube insertion procedures. A child's asthma attack may be triggered by secondhand smoke. When exposed to secondhand smoke, children with asthma experience more severe and frequent asthma attacks. The life of a youngster can be in jeopardy due to a severe asthma episode. Pregnant women who smoke have a higher risk of SIDS.

Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 different compounds. Approximately 69 of these substances are known carcinogens, or substances that cause cancer. There are over 250 substances that are known to be bad for your health.

Toxins are dangerous substances found in smoke from burning tobacco products. You can inhale these chemicals even if you don't smoke by breathing in other people's smoke. Unfiltered smoke comes from the end of a burning pipe, cigar, or cigarette. It might contain even more dangerous chemicals than the smoke from tobacco. Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 different compounds. Approximately 69 of these substances are known carcinogens, or substances that cause cancer. There are over 250 substances that are known to be bad for your health.

You may be familiar with some of the dangerous compounds found in tobacco smoke, such as One of the chemicals in petrol benzene. Butane is a substance in a lighter liquid. Ammonia: A substance found in cleaning supplies for the home. Paint thinner contains a chemical called toluene. One of the chemicals in batteries is cadmium. Formaldehyde: A substance present in building supplies, fertiliser, and embalming fluid. Secondhand smoke is less harmful to your health than smoking. Secondhand smoke, however, is also extremely dangerous. The toxins in secondhand smoke continue to have an impact on those who breathe it in. Safe exposure to secondhand smoke does not exist. According to studies, secondhand smoke can cause damage in as short as five minutes and nearly instantly trigger respiratory and inflammatory reactions: Five minutes later: Just like in a cigarette smoker, arteries lose some of their flexibility. After 20 to 30 minutes, fat deposits in blood arteries raise the risk of heart attack and stroke, and blood begins to clot. After two hours: An arrhythmia, or abnormal heartbeat, may occur, which may lead to a heart attack or other severe cardiac issues. A room may contain secondhand smoke for up to five hours. Indeed, it can pass through ventilation systems and stairwells.

This implies that residents of apartment complexes run the danger of exposure without ever leaving their homes. Tobacco smoke particles can remain on surfaces for several months. We refer to this as thirdhand smoke. Employees in the service sector (such as bartenders and waitresses in restaurants): It may be impossible for someone who works in a public smoking location to prevent secondhand smoke. Pets, kids, and infants: Animals and young children may not always be able to flee a room full of smoke. The negative effects of secondhand smoke are exacerbated by continuous exposure. Pregnant women: Because secondhand smoke reduces oxygen availability, it has an impact on the developing fetus. In addition to causing low birth weight or early birth, it can raise fetal heart rates.

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