The Hazards of Secondhand Smoke
If you are someone who is contemplating quitting smoking there are many excellent reasons to move forward with that decision. Consider that since the year 2008 a huge number of people have decided to quit merely for financial reasons, and have saved an average of nearly five thousand dollars per year for making that choice. Also consider that millions more decided to do so after reading about the many health benefits that they could enjoy once they stopped smoking including some effects that occur within twenty minutes of the last cigarette! Interestingly enough there are some incredible benefits for non-smokers too.
How can a non-smoker benefit from someone else’s choice to quit? It has to do with exposure to a substance known as secondhand smoke. This is composed of two types of smoke – that coming from the lit cigarette and that which is exhaled by the smoker. It contains over four thousand toxic chemicals and fifty known carcinogens.
This means that someone entering a store who passes through a cloud of the smoke, exhaled by someone standing near the entrance, is getting the same toxins as the smoker themselves. This also means that someone who inhabits a home with a regular smoker is going to be at risk for the same cancers, heart diseases, and respiratory problems as the smoker too.
If there are children in the home, or people with chronic respiratory issues, the threats are even greater. When children are exposed to secondhand smoke their significantly smaller lungs and airways are more strongly affected by the substances it contains and they will be prone to respiratory issues due to the irritation and subsequent development of mucus in all of their air passages. This leads to frequent infections in the lungs, throats, and ears of children who live with smokers too. If those exposed to secondhand smoke are adults there are still many risks, particularly if the adult has any sort of compromised breathing conditions such as asthma or COPD.
Secondhand smoke can even harm the unborn because the toxins from the smoke will enter the lungs and bloodstream of the mother where they will then make their way to the baby. This can reduce the amount of oxygen and nutrients reaching the child and lead to premature birth, low birth weight, life-long health problems, and even Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
There are an estimated fifty thousand deaths each year that are caused by exposure to secondhand smoke, and this includes people who develop lung cancer and heart disease from the toxic fumes. These facts should clearly demonstrate the many benefits of a smoking cessation program, and how it will help everyone in the home.
