SECONDHAND
SMOKE.
Remember the old days when episodes of "I Love
Lucy" would show Lucy and Ricky enjoying a cigarette by the fireplace? Or
what about when you were able to smoke in hospitals, not only when visiting,
but also as a patient? Then there were the times not so long ago, when we were
actually allowed to smoke at our work desks. Now cigarette companies can't even
advertise on television, smoking puts you in the hospital, and you're lucky if
you can even smoke on the same block you work on.
With all of these changes comes a realization that smoking not only affects the
smoker, but also those in the surrounding area. You have to wonder why, knowing
the danger smoking causes, do people continue to jeopardize their own lives along
with those they love? Will Wisconsin ever follow in the footsteps of New York
and ban smoking in public places or would people in the Midwest rather die than
put out their smokes?
We have heard time and time again about the dangers of cigarette smoke, but let's
take one more look at what that smoke is doing to the innocent bystander, and
maybe we won't be so hesitant to say "Excuse me, could you please not smoke
around me?" the next time someone lights up next to us.
What is second-hand smoke? Second-hand smoke, or passive
smoking, is the exposure of nonsmokers to tobacco smoke from the smoking of others.
This can occur through
exposure of exhaled smoke from smokers or the smoke given off of a smoldering
cigarette.
The quantity of toxic contaminants in both mainstream smoke (exhaled) and sidestream
smoke (smoldering) differs in concentration, but both are very dangerous to humans.
Numerous medical studies have supported the dangerousness of exposure to second-hand
smoke in both children and adults.
How does this affect our health? Within the past 20
years, several scientific studies have shown that second-hand smoke contributes
to the development of upper
respiratory illnesses, asthma, colds, heart disease and cancer. The studies have
shown that many of these relationships are dose-dependent, meaning the more exposure,
the greater chance of development of a health condition.
How does second-hand smoke affect children? There
has been significant national concern over exposing children to second-hand smoke.
Most children are not able
to defend themselves against this exposure, especially if one or both parents
smoke. This exposure may contribute to the development of health conditions or
the worsening of pre-existing conditions.
It has been shown that children of smokers have a greater incidence of visits
to the doctor and the emergency department. These visits are usually for the
treatment of respiratory illnesses like asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia and ear
infections. These illnesses occur at least twice as much in the children of smokers!
Other health issues that have been related to second-hand smoke include the development
of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), impaired growth and development, childhood
cancers and dental caries. Many of the studies are of a smaller sample size,
but these relationships are still alarming.
How does second-hand smoke affect adults? Passive
smoking by adults has similar effects as those documented in children. Of greater
concern is that adults that
live with smokers have a 30-percent chance of developing lung cancer. Each year,
10,000 nonsmokers develop lung cancer in the United States, with 3,000 of these
patients having a history of passive smoking. The remaining victims have other
risk factors and history of toxic exposures.
Another concerning association of passive smoking is the development of coronary
artery disease. It is well documented in smokers that smoking contributes to
the development of heart attacks, atherosclerosis, coronary artery spasm, heart
beat irregularities, diminished oxygen carrying capacity in the blood and sudden
death.
Passive smoking has similar effects on adults. The American Heart Association
supports the concept that exposure to passive smoke increases one's chances of
coronary heart disease by 30 percent!
What should I do? You need to avoid exposure to passive
smoke, plain and simple. It is essential that you protect your children from
the effects of passive smoke
as well.
If you are a smoker, you need to quit. If you choose not to quit, do not expose
others to the toxins in cigarettes, which include such chemicals as carbon monoxide
and benzene. These chemicals are also present in second-hand smoke as well.
Unfortunately, as Americans, we have had to turn to legislation in order to protect
ourselves from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke. We need to keep our
home and work environments clean and safe. In addition, public domains must be
the same.
There is no question that second-hand smoke plays an important role in our health
care. It contributes to the advent of several disease processes as well as rising
health care costs. We must be supportive of keeping our environment safe and
clean, and we must protect our children from this unwanted exposure.
