IS SECOND-HAND SMOKE DANGEROUS ?

"Dad, please do not fill the room with dirty air. Please, give me a room to breathe."

Have you ever felt your child’s agony when you light up?

"I smoke in the balcony when my child is in the bedroom. I avoid smoking in front of my kids." This is the explanation I get from my educated patients.

But while they may smoke outside; how many wash their hands and clean their teeth before they hold their children.

"Okay I should not smoke at home. But tell me, is it possible to go out 20 times a day, especially in this cold?" argues a heavy smoker.

Yes, it is difficult to go out for a smoke every time. But are people justified in smoking inside homes, and exposing innocent people to thousands of poisons with every puff.

Many now work in "smoke-free offices" and since the government has also taken disciplinary action for "smoking in public places", smokers are cautious while lighting up in public places. But unfortunately, the situation at home needs to be addressed.

What is passive smoking?

First of all, we need to understand what passive smoking is. Passive smoke or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is a mixture of mainstream smoke (exhaled by smokers); and side stream smoke (freshly generated from a passively lit cigarette); as well as contaminants that diffuse through the cigarette paper and mouth end between puffs.

ETS contains more than 4,000 chemical compounds and is even more carcinogenic than active smoking. Second hand smoke is a major source of indoor air pollution.

Tobacco smoke is an irritant. Some of the immediate effects include eye irritation, headache, cough, sore throat, dizziness and nausea. Short-term exposure to tobacco smoke also has a measurable effect on the heart. Just 30 minutes is enough to reduce coronary blood flow.

Alarmingly, nearly 700 million children, almost half of all children worldwide, live in the home of a smoker. Infants of mothers who smoke have five times the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). They also suffer from reduced birth weight and reduced lung functioning.

Effects on health

Passive smoking increases the risk of lower respiratory tract infections such as bronchitis, pneumonia and bronchiolitis in children; and is a risk factor for new cases of asthma.

Passive smoking is also associated with middle ear infection in children as well as possible cardiovascular impairment and behavioural problems. Passive smoking may also affect children’s mental development. A U.S. study found deficits in reading and reasoning skills among children even at low levels of smoke exposure

In the longer term, passive smokers suffer an increased risk of a range of smoking-related diseases. Even a short period can have immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and interferes with the normal functioning of the heart, blood, and vascular systems in ways that increase the risk of a heart attack.

Non-smokers, who are exposed to passive smoking in the home, have a 25 per cent increased risk of heart disease and lung cancer. A major review by the Government-appointed Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health (SCOTH) concluded that passive smoking is a cause of lung cancer and ischemic heart disease in adult non-smokers
Protect yourself

The UN Surgeon General says that the only way to fully protect yourself and your loved ones from the dangers of second hand smoke is through 100 per cent smoke-free environments. The single best way to create a smoke free environment is to Quit Smoking.

Quitting requires planning, and a strong will. Also, there are effective support systems to help in the process.

A Structured Tobacco Cessation Clinic will definitely help you as it combines intensive psychotherapeutic interventions, along with pharmacotherapy to reduce the withdrawal symptoms.

Nicotine Replacement therapy and pharmacotherapy are also available to make the process easier. New drugs promise greater success in managing the cravings effectively.

Everyone knows smoking is bad for smokers and their families. Everyone understands that cigarettes are smoking people to disease and death very fast. Still they continue to abuse their bodies.

Protect yourself and your family

Make your home and car smoke-free.

Ask people not to smoke around you and your children.

Make sure that your children’s day care center or school is smoke-free.

Choose restaurants and other businesses that are smoke-free.

Thank businesses for being smoke-free. Let owners of businesses that are not smoke-free know that second hand smoke is harmful to your family’s health.

Teach children to stay away from second hand smoke.

Avoid second hand smoke exposure especially if you or your children have respiratory conditions, heart disease, or if you are pregnant.

Talk to your healthcare provider about the dangers of second hand smoke.

Quit smoking.