How Second-Hand Smoke Affects You And Your Family
Only few of the people who smoke are sensitive enough to take the initiative of refraining from cigarette smoking while in public places. Even worse than that, parents and whoever is smoking inside the house don't care regarding the risks they present to other innocent lives inside the household. Young kids, for instance, are especially vulnerable to smoke, making them at high risk for cough, chest and ear infections.
Passive smoking, or secondary smoke as it is sometimes called, is when you breathe in air that has been polluted by other individuals's cigarette smoke. If the surrounding space is poorly ventilated, dangerous ingredients included in the smoke can stay in the room for several hours. If the smoke is thick and the space has ventilation, they can also possibly spread to adjacent rooms.
As far as cancer-producing tar in cigarette is concerned, the concentration of tar is significantly higher from the flaming end of a cigarette (sidestream smoke) than that of the non-flaming end that is inhaled directly by the cigarette user (mainstream smoke). One can only think about the amount of tar absorbed by the baby from a smoker puffing cigarette immediately in front of him. A nonsmoker who spends approximately four hours in a smoky area is equivalent to him smoking one cigarette.
Nonsmokers can additionally absorb a significant amount of addictive substances from cigarette smoke - the nicotine. The volume of nicotine absorbed by the child is equivalent to the kid himself smoking approximately 30 cigarettes a year if his father smokes, and 50 cigarettes a year if it is the mother who smokes. If both parents smoke, the child can assimilate nicotine equivalent to 80 cigarettes a year.
Nonsmoking kids whose mothers and fathers smoke in the house are involuntarily exposed to the toxic chemicals of cigarette. The effect of these chemicals is worst at ages 1 to 5 years old when they still spend a lot of their time with their parents. Coughing, sneezing and chest tightness are common issues of young children exposed to passive smoking. Coughing and sneezing result once the child inhales the smoke, and the airway recognizes it as foreign irritant. The human body's defense is so effective that it is equipped with natural reflexes such as coughing and sneezing, as an attempt to expel unhealthy chemicals such as smoke. Chest tightness, on the other hand, is due to those airborne chemical substances from smoke that trigger airway muscles to tighten, making it tough for the baby to breathe.
Passive cigarette smoking can also worsen some of the typical childhood illnesses such as bronchiolitis, pneumonia, laryngitis, flu, pharyngitis, sinus infection, ear infections, middle ear blockage and fluid accumulation, colds, and eye irritation. Inhalation of passive smoke is additionally strongly implicated as a risk factor for sudden infant death symdrome (SIDS). Likewise, owing to its irritant effect to the airway, passive smoke is a powerful trigger of acute asthma attack in young children. Frequent exposure, for that reason, can prospect to extreme and difficult to manage asthma attacks.
In adults, the most alarming consequence of passive cigarette smoking is the actuality that it can cause lung cancer. A research by Ayesha Bryant, et.el, showed that the incidence of Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is not uncommon among nonsmokers. Patients with NSCLC are more possible to be young, female and symptomatic of the illness. Additionally, nonsmoking females have a 50% increase in their risk for lung cancer if their husbands smoke.
The damage brought about by passive smoking should not be underestimated. Necessary actions ought to be performed to avoid this. Declaring your home a smoke-free place would be a great start. If household members smoke cigarettes, they must do it outside the home. If at a restaurant, make sure to sit in a no-smoking area. And if staying in a hotel, be sure to ask for a non-smoking room. Last but not the least; do not be hesitant to courteously ask people close to your kid at a social gathering to quit smoking. Asking individuals to quit cigarette smoking in a public place is never too much to ask simply because health is at stake here.
About the Author
They say your kid is a reflection of you. Visit http://www.Gagazine.com to learn how to raise a better child by raising a better parent (YOU) first.
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