The dangers of passive smoking

We all know about how negatively nicotine and resins contained in cigarettes affect human health. These frightening slogans are written on cigarette packs, medical professionals say about it, parents persuade their children to not even begin to smoke. And what about those who are not on their own will get poisoned by cigarette smoke? Passive smoking, oddly enough, is no less harmful. So let’s us find out the answer to the question: what is passive smoking?

Passive smoking meaning is unintentional and unwanted inhalation of air poisoned with substances released during smoking. That is, a smoker, without thinking poisons people around!

And when we use the word "poison", we do not exaggerate! People who are near a smoker, for example, at a bus stop or in a street cafe, are forced to inhale up to 60% of those toxins contained in tobacco smoke.

Carbon monoxide. While in a smoky room, a non-smoking individual often complains about severe headache, nausea. This is what carbon monoxide does to our bodies. When inhaling this harmful substance, a person is experiencing oxygen starvation

Nitrous oxide. Extremely toxic, affects the respiratory tract

Aldehydes — poisonous substances. When inhaled into the lungs, it causes irritation; in addition, the aldehydes have a depressant effect on the nervous system. Particularly dangerous is formaldehyde, since its concentration in the air at times exceeds the amount that has gotten into the body of a smoker

Hydrogen cyanide. Highly toxic substance, which has a destructive effect on the body as a whole.

Acrolein. The product of incomplete combustion of tobacco causes severe irritation of the mucous membranes of the nose and bronchi.

Nitrosamine. The strongest carcinogen contained in tobacco smoke. Has a destructive effect on the brain

In addition to the above, tobacco smoke contains an additional of about 4,000 harmful substances, of which more than fifty are capable of causing the development of malignant neoplasms.

A non-smoker person, while in a room where others smoke for one hour, receives a dose of some gaseous components, which equates to the fact that he or she smoked half a cigarette. It is easy to calculate how many conventional cigarettes such a person can smoke, if throughout the working day is in a room full of cigarette smoke.

Tobacco smoke itself is very unpleasant it penetrates into clothing and hair in seconds, has a really bad smell. Effects of passive smoking can be short-lived and prolonged. Being exposed to it during a short period of time will not significantly damage the body and health; all harmful components will be quickly neutralized by the immune system. But a long stay in a room, where people smoke, causes significant damage to a non-smoker individual.

Let’s look at some passive smoking facts.

Passive smoke exposure irritates olfactory receptors, dries up the upper airway mucus, which leads to a strong throat and cough. Pretty terrifying is the fact that a non-smoker, not knowing anything, can get allergic rhinitis. This is far from a harmless condition, which is accompanied by constant edema and running nose, can lead to oxygen starvation of brain cells, stopping breathing in sleep and other unpleasant consequences. No less dangerous is asthma. Asthma in passive smokers occurs five times more often than in people who are in an atmosphere where there is no tobacco smoke. And do not forget such deadly dangerous diseases, as chronic obstructive illness of lungs and cancer.

Toxins contained in smoke exhaled by humans have a negative effect on the blood vessels: the elasticity of the vessels decreases, the risk of atherosclerosis and angina pectoris increases, which in turn leads to ischemic heart disease. Insufficient supply of brain tissue by oxygen due to inhalation of toxic products of cigarette smoke leads to an increased risk of stroke an extremely severe condition in which the cells of the brain die off.

Prolonged inhalation of air impregnated with cigarette smoke irritates a non-smoker person, leads to chronic stress, which very badly affects the state of the nervous system. Nicotine initially activates and then suppresses the nervous system, which may cause nervousness and insomnia, nausea, dizziness and other unpleasant manifestations.

Even more facts on passive smoking — wives of heavy smokers, especially those who like to smoke at home, eventually lose their ability to conceive, their menstrual cycle is shortened, they suffer from early ovarian failure.

It is believed that passive smoke is more harmful than active. And this is true. A passive smoker receives all the harmful components contained in tobacco smoke. As for the direct smoker, his or her lungs receive filtered smoke, which enters there in limited portions.

Adult people can at least somehow deprive themselves of unwanted inhalation of smoke. Little children are not able to do this. The amount of toxins that a small child receives with tobacco smoke can completely kill his or her immune system. Poor kids, especially infants and babies are not able to open a window or leave the room where the parents smoke.

Passive smoking risks, inherent in adults, arise in young passive smokers. Children whose parents smoke in their presence are at high risk of developing neurological problems. Already at an early age, such children differ from their peers. Such kids become extremely lethargic, apathetic and get sick easily, or, conversely, become disrespectful, aggressive and hyperactive. Subsequently, this will necessarily affect the behavior of a child in school and in relationships with peers.

Passive smoking when pregnant is extremely dangerous for the life and health of an unborn baby. Pregnant women who are infecting themselves and their unborn baby with cigarette smoke should understand that they are in close biological contact with the child, and the toxins that they inhale, necessarily get into the blood of the baby.

Additionally, women who have long been forced to breathe in tobacco smoke, experience more serious problems with pregnancy, frequent toxicosis, high risk of preterm labor, which requires careful care and special attention to the newborn.

Thus, smokers who care about the health of their relatives and friends should try not to smoke in their presence. And the best decision is to quit smoking. This, of course, is not a difficult task. But there are many auxiliary techniques or even medications such as Zyban that will help you get rid of this deadly habit.