Passive smoking briefly. Harm of second-hand smoke for pregnant women

Good afternoon! Everyone knows that smoking is harmful. But when they talk about passive smoking, many grin: what nonsense! So, passive smoker - what does it mean? Let's look at passive smoking and its impact on health.

Not all of us are addicted to smoking, and many simply cannot stand tobacco smoke. But in a number of cases, they are forced to either be in the same room with a smoking person, or breathe in tobacco smoke in various public institutions. After the adoption of laws prohibiting smoking in places where there are large numbers of people, the risk passive smoking decreased somewhat, however, there are still many smokers who neglect not only their health, but also the well-being of their loved ones. This primarily applies to smoking at home and in the workplace. Since in these situations absorption harmful substances becomes a constant phenomenon, the risk of developing unpleasant consequences for passive smokers increases tenfold. Let's understand the problem.

Passive smoking refers to inhalation tobacco smoke regardless of what type of product distinguishes it. These can be cigarettes, cigarettes, cigars, pipes and hookahs; the only question is the quantity and intensity of harmful substances entering the atmosphere. Nai more harm applied to cigars, pipe tobacco and cigarettes, since in this case a lot of toxic substances and various resins are released.

The issue of harm is also related to the intensity of smoke inhalation. If a person passed a smoker on the street and coughed from an unpleasant, irritating cough, the harm can be considered caused, but minimally possible. If a person breathes thick, fetid fumes day after day, it is not surprising that the harm will be maximum, since toxic and carcinogens tend to accumulate in the body and gradually carry out their destructive effect.

Scientists have calculated that only 20% of all excreted tobacco products smoke enters directly into the lungs of the smoker himself. The remaining 80% is allocated to environment. It turns out that most of the harmful substances contained in tobacco smoke enter the lungs, and from there into the blood of people who are in no way involved in the act of smoking.

Naturally, being a smoker in the open air somewhat mitigates the harm of inhaling smoke by other people, since the concentration is minimal due to the dispersion of the flow of tobacco smoke. But if this happens in indoors, Negative influence the impact on the health of all people is becoming colossal.

The smoke contains great amount various chemical substances and compounds, the vast majority of which are toxic and/or carcinogenic. When they enter the body, they begin their destructive effect. The more and more often a person is in a smoky room, the more harmful substances accumulate in his body. Eventually, the concentration of harmful substances becomes so high that it begins to have a destructive effect on human health. The trouble is that these substances not only “clog” the lungs, but are also absorbed into the blood and tissues, which means they poison the entire body as a whole.

The respiratory organs are primarily affected by smoking in any form. The thing is that the flow of smoke is divided into two “portions” and the one that is released into the air and enters the lungs of a passive smoker causes much more harm than that inhaled by an active tobacco user.

Tobacco smoke contains a lot of harmful toxic substances:

Nitric oxide.
Carbon monoxide.
Nicotine.
Phenol.
Hydrogen cyanide.
Acetone.
Ammonia.
Resins.
Aromatic additives, polyesters, which are added to any types of tobacco.

All these elements play an extremely negative role for lung health. Resins are deposited on their walls, “glue” the alveoli and clog blood vessels, causing the development of enphysema, frequent colds and pneumonia different types, cause benign and malignant tumors.

Very often, passive smoking leads to weakening of the lungs and sharp decline immunity. A person becomes especially susceptible to various infectious and colds, which further weakens the lungs and leads to the development of many pathologies. Besides, volatiles in smoke promotes development allergic reactions and bronchial asthma.

What diseases can develop in a passive smoker? The worst thing that passive inhalation of tobacco smoke can lead to is cancer. The thing is that the carcinogens, tars and other toxic compounds contained in tobacco products cause mutations at the cellular level.

First of all, the respiratory organs suffer from this, so cancer of the throat, lips and lungs is much more common in heavy smokers than in other groups of the population.

Another target of tobacco is the cardiovascular system. The vessels not only become fragile, they become thinner and break at the most unexpected moment for a person. This is how heart attacks and strokes occur, significant amount cases causing disability or death of the patient.

Another serious harm that occurs both from smoking itself and from inhaling smoke. This has a negative impact on reproductive system person. Active and passive smokers are much more likely to have various pathologies, preventing conception and bearing offspring. In men, these are mainly disturbances in the formation and motility of sperm and weakness of potency, in women - difficulties in conceiving and bearing a fetus, a tendency to bleeding and spontaneous abortion, dysfunction of the placenta, fetal hypoxia and congenital pathologies.

How does a passive smoker's sense of smell suffer?

Smoking and inhaling smoke from tobacco products irritate the olfactory receptors. The more often they are exposed to aggressive influence, the more risk weakening of their sensitivity up to complete atrophy. In addition, acrid smoke causes severe dryness mucous membranes of the nose, which also negatively affects the sense of smell. Prolonged or regular stay in a smoky room can lead to the appearance of vasomotor rhinitis, accompanied by constant swelling of the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx. This condition also has an extremely negative effect on the state of the olfactory system.

Passive smoking is especially dangerous for people whose work is directly related to a high-quality sense of smell. For them, passive smoking is one of their main enemies.

Is it dangerous if a child is a passive smoker?

Second-hand smoke poses the greatest risk to young children. The main problem is that nicotine and other harmful substances have a destructive effect on the growing body, accumulating in it and poisoning it. The baby is very weak immunity, especially if it is on artificial feeding, did not receive colostrum immediately after birth or suffered from serious illnesses in infancy, was exposed to surgical intervention. Any chemical poisoning, and this is exactly what happens to a child when inhaling smoke from burning tobacco products, can lead to serious violations work of internal organs.

First of all, this affects the state of the cardiovascular, respiratory and nervous systems. Vessels react increased fragility, a sharp narrowing, which leads to spasms and the risk of ruptures with bleeding, and this in the future can cause strokes or heart attacks. Under the influence of passive smoking, a child becomes nervous, irritable, sleeps poorly, and has poor appetite, he is gaining weight slowly. The accumulation of toxic compounds and tars in the lungs and respiratory tract leads to more frequent and severe colds, which further weaken the child's body.

Mothers who smoke, who breastfeed, or who refuse to breastfeed because of their reluctance to quit smoking, inflict especially serious harm on their children. Nicotine and other toxic components easily penetrate the placental barrier and into breast milk, and therefore have a detrimental effect on the development of the fetus and the health of the baby. In pregnant women who smoke, the rate of miscarriages and fetal pathologies is much higher than in those women who do not have bad habits.

If the mother also smokes in the house where the child is, then this significantly aggravates the already difficult situation. The baby may lag behind in mental and physical development, often get sick, and lose weight and height.

Passive smoker of electronic cigarettes - is it possible?

Since there is no combustion or oxidation of substances in electronic cigarettes, this means that there is no release of carcinogens, tars, formaldehyde and other dangerous compounds into the air. However, if there is nicotine in the vaping liquid, a tiny fraction of it will still be released into the air. However, compared to smoking regular cigarettes the amount of harmful elements is significant, tens and even hundreds of times lower than in the case of “classic” tobacco products.

Because detailed studies have been carried out on this topic insufficiently, then it is clear to say that e-Sigs completely harmless for passive smokers is impossible. But comparison with conventional tobacco products is clearly in favor of electronic cigarettes.

Smoking, in whatever form it may be, active or passive, is absolutely harmful to human health. If smoking is the free choice of every person, then his responsibility to society and loved ones is to minimize damage to the health of others. It is necessary to ensure that no non-smoker becomes a passive smoker against his will, and even better, to protect his own health by giving up the use of tobacco. Now do you understand what it means - a passive smoker? Help your loved ones quit smoking! I think you will find the information you need. Don't forget about the dangers of passive smoking! And at the end, as usual, a video

Hello, readers of my blog! Today I will tell you about what passive smoking is and how it affects our health.

The topic of passive smoking has been of concern to me for a long time. In the families of my close friends, it is customary to smoke in the house. Wives are loyal to their husbands' habits, since the man is the master of their house. According to women, this is not recklessness, but respect for male. A man feels like a king and often reminds his wife that it is not a king’s business to change his habits. They live, as they say, soul to soul. This harmony reminds funny story about marriage without quarrels.

A woman who lived with her husband for half a century in peace and harmony was asked: “How did you manage to live so many years in harmony?” The woman replied: “Very simple. After the wedding, my husband and I rode by wagon to our ranch. One horse stumbled, and the husband said indignantly: “One.” A few minutes later the horse stumbled again, and this caused great anger in the husband. He said: “Two.” The ranch was already very close when the horse stumbled again and the husband shot at it on the count of three. I started crying and screaming and my husband said: “One”...
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It is difficult to understand and correct male egoism and female lack of rights.

Not everything goes well in family relationships if both parents smoke. There is a special smell in a house where people smoke. Curtains, clothes, ceilings, walls, furniture are all saturated with cigarette smoke. The stinking air from tobacco smoke has eclipsed the comfort of home and one cannot reconcile with this.

Smoking – dangerous habit, from which not only the smoker suffers, but also the people around him. Many families are unaware of the dangers of active and passive smoking, putting their health and the health of their children at risk.

From the history of tobacco smoking

Tobacco was first brought to Russia in 1585. Under Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, those caught smoking were beaten on the feet with sticks for the first time, those found guilty of smoking for the second time had their noses or ears cut off. Smoking caused a devastating fire in Moscow in 1634. After this incident, smoking was punished death penalty. Intimidating measures did not bring results. Since 1697, tobacco trade was officially permitted by Peter I.

Today Russia is one of the countries where smoking is unlimited.

What is passive smoking?

Tobacco smoke is a major source of indoor air pollution. It contains more than 4,000 chemical reagents, some of which are toxic substances, and about 60 of them contain components that can be classified as carcinogens with varying degrees of certainty.

Passive (involuntary) smoking is the unintentional inhalation of someone else's tobacco smoke. Research by scientists has proven an increased risk of lung cancer in non-smokers who are forced to be around smokers. The presence of specific tobacco carcinogens was detected in the blood of non-smokers. Researchers believe passive smoking is one of the causes of lung cancer in non-smokers.

It has been proven that even short-term passive smoking leads to heart disease.

From latest research known:

Adults exposed to secondhand smoke at home and at work have a 60% higher risk of developing asthma than those who live and work in unpolluted indoor environments.
In children smoking parents Respiratory diseases, bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma are twice as likely to be observed in contrast to children of non-smoking parents.
Passive smoking increases the risk of blindness.

Over the past two decades, a lot of evidence has accumulated negative impact passive smoking on health. It has been established that in one hour of being in a smoky room, a passive smoker inhales as much nicotine as an active smoker receives when smoking four cigarettes.

The most vulnerable organs in forced smokers are the respiratory organs. Special studies showed that lung cancer is the main fate of not only smokers, but also people forced to be around them.

Cigarette smoke and its consequences

When burning tobacco, two streams of smoke are formed: the main stream (formed during a puff of smoke, it passes through the entire cigarette, inhaled and exhaled by the smoker) and an additional stream (this is the exhaled smoke released between puffs from the charred part of the cigarette).

The main stream consists of five hundred gaseous components (solid microparticles, including various toxic compounds), of which carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are especially harmful.

The additional flow contains more carbon monoxide (5 times), ammonia (45 times), and nicotine (50 times) than the main stream.

The smoke exhaled by a smoker contains many times more toxic components than the smoke inhaled by the smoker himself. This indicates the particular danger of passive smoking for others.

The radioactive substance polonium-210, contained in tobacco smoke, lingers in the bronchi, causing tumors in the lungs. After smoking one pack of cigarettes a day, a smoker receives a radiation dose three times higher permissible norm. The dose of ionizing radiation that a smoker receives in a year (if you smoke 20 cigarettes a day) is equal to the dose received over the same period of time from 300 x-rays. It is important to know that the body receives the same amount of radioactive substances during active and passive smoking.

According to research results, exhaled tobacco smoke contains significantly large quantity substances harmful to health rather than inhaled.

Smoking process

The act of smoking involves absorbing air through the smoldering tobacco. Oxygen from the inhaled air enhances the smoldering of tobacco. The resulting combustion products fill the lungs. An intense inhalation and a deep puff fills the entire volume of the lungs with smoke.

Smoke, as a product of smoking tobacco, is physico-chemical system, which consists of air and tobacco combustion products in the form of solid particles and liquid droplets.

Smoking tobacco can be called dry distillation: when you puff, the air passes through the smoldering tobacco and heats up to high temperature and with various toxic substances enters the lungs along with smoke.

Smokers mistakenly believe that cigarette filters make cigarettes harmless. Cigarette filters(compressed, specially treated paper) absorb only 20% of the poisonous substances contained in smoke. The overwhelming majority of toxic components enter the lungs.

The effect of smoking on the body

Hot smoke primarily destroys tooth enamel(microscopic cracks form on the enamel, where pathogenic microbes settle). The teeth become covered with tar, darken and crack.

The high temperature of the smoke causes inflammation of the mucous membranes of the mouth and nasopharynx (capillary vessels dilate, irritating the mucous membrane of the palate and gums). Salivary glands begin to intensively secrete saliva, which is spat or swallowed along with ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. Thus, the gastrointestinal tract of the smoker suffers (loss of appetite, pain in the stomach, and at the same time diseases - gastritis, ulcers, cancer).

Next, tobacco smoke rushes to the respiratory tract, causing irritation of the mucous membrane of the larynx, trachea and bronchi. Long-term smoking causes Chronical bronchitis, accompanied by a cough in the morning and expectoration of dirty brown sputum.

Smoking hinders the exchange process carbon dioxide(delivered by blood from tissues to the lungs) to oxygen supplied from the air during breathing. The capacity of the lungs and the patency of the bronchi decreases, which leads to spasms. Radioactive substances and tars that make up tobacco smoke lead to the formation of tumors.

Smoking disrupts the functioning of the brain and central nervous system.

Nicotine and nicotine addiction

Nicotine - narcotic substance, to which an addiction gradually develops: “nicotine addiction.”

Nicotine causes the following disorders:

Metabolic disease.
Excitation of the respiratory and vasomotor centers.
Exhaustion nerve cells and the development of functional nervous disorders.
Increased blood pressure.
Increased heart rate.

All this leads to uneconomical work of the heart, which means wear and tear on its muscles. Nicotine addiction manifests itself in headaches, dizziness, memory loss, decreased attention, insomnia, and rapid heartbeat.

Scientists conducted a study of the effect of smoking on human performance mental work(pilot) and found that after 3 cigarettes he smoked, serious changes occurred:

reduction in visual perception of information from devices – by 25%;
reduction in the speed of motor reaction – by 20%;
a noticeable decrease in the perception of red and green colors;
slow adaptation in the dark.

"Light" cigarettes

There are no “light” cigarettes. Smokers think that “light cigarettes” are safer because they contain less nicotine and tar. “Light cigarettes” are highly addictive. To quench thirst and ensure the required concentration of nicotine in the blood, a smoker needs a larger number of such cigarettes.

The very names “light cigarettes” or “soft cigarettes” do not correspond to reality, since they differ extremely high content resin

Toxic substances from “light cigarettes” enter the body unevenly, depending on how the cigarettes are smoked. With intense and fast smoking, four times more tar enters the body than with slow smoking.

What are the dangers of smoking during pregnancy?

Tobacco smoke products cause disturbances in the genetic information of the egg. Their mutagenic effect affects the fetus throughout pregnancy. With one puff, the fetal heart rate accelerates from 130 to 185 beats per minute. The same effect of nicotine on a child occurs with passive smoking.

In a pregnant woman who smokes, the fetus lags behind in development due to lack of nutrients and oxygen. Does smoking woman the right to be called a mother, rewarding her child terrible diseases and trials, threatening him with death?

Consequences of smoking:

Defects in the development of the placenta.
Disturbances in fetal development.
Low weight of the newborn.
Spontaneous miscarriage.
Premature birth.
Sudden infant death.

A child born from a smoking mother is poisoned by nicotine and other poisons with breast milk. Tobacco poison easily penetrates the blood of children through the lungs and skin. From the first days of his life, he is lagging behind in height and weight, and suffers from sleep and appetite disturbances. Children of smoking parents experience delays in mental and physical development. They are susceptible to many diseases: bronchitis, pneumonia, diabetes mellitus, allergic diseases...

Doctors' studies have proven that children exposed to tobacco smoke in the womb or after birth exhibit behavioral abnormalities (irritability...)

Smoking and its effect on the body

Smoking addiction explained conditioned reflex, which is fixed in the smoker’s consciousness with each cigarette smoked. Nicotine and other elements that make up tobacco smoke are absorbed into the blood and spread throughout the body. Within 2-3 minutes, nicotine penetrates the brain, providing active action on his cells. The smoker feels a surge of energy and vigor, which soon disappears. This physiological phenomenon is explained by the fact that after the dilation of blood vessels, their narrowing occurs. The desire to feel the usual excitement makes the smoker smoke a new cigarette.

Why do you need to give up a bad habit?

After quitting smoking, the quality of life will change, which will manifest itself in an improvement in the sense of smell, in restoring the sensitivity of the taste buds of the tongue, in the disappearance of bad breath, bitterness in the mouth, profuse salivation, in the disappearance of yellowness of the teeth, in the growth of working capacity; in improving your own health... The most important thing is that your family members will stop suffering from second-hand smoke.

Tips for those who decide to quit smoking:

Remember that it is only difficult to abstain from smoking on the first day and in the first week! (If you smoked 30 cigarettes a day, then on each day of the first week of quitting smoking you will be haunted by the urge to smoke the same number of times.)
If you have an unbearable desire to smoke, try to distract yourself simple exercise: Relax and close your eyes, inhale slowly and exhale slowly (counting to 5). Repeat this exercise 10 times and feel relief.
Don't forget to eat vegetables and fruits (apples, carrots, oranges, tangerines...). Citrus fruit, chewing gum, sugar-free lollipops and juices are good at reducing cravings for cigarettes.
Avoid alcohol and high-calorie foods.
Don't do things that irritate you (limit watching aggressive TV shows).
Take walks in nature, enjoy communication with nature!
Do what you love (hobby)!
Take your mind off the thought of smoking and avoid places where people smoke.
Remember: one puff is enough to rekindle the habit! Think about the benefits of quitting smoking. You always have a choice: you can show weakness and give up, or you can be strong and win.
Health - main value person. Be sure that your decision is correct!

See you again!

Tobacco smoking is the most common bad habit in the world. They write on cigarette packages about how negatively nicotine and tar affect human health, doctors talk about it, and parents convince their children not to even start smoking. What should those people do who are poisoned by cigarette smoke against their will? Passive smoking, according to scientific research, is no less dangerous than active smoking.

Passive smoking and its impact on health

The term “passive smoking” refers to the unintentional and unwanted inhalation of air contaminated by substances released by smoking. That is, a smoker, deliberately inhaling cigarette smoke, poisons without thinking standing nearby non-smoking people!

It is poisonous, since people near it, for example at a bus stop or in a street cafe, are forced to inhale up to 60% of the toxins contained in tobacco smoke.

Harmful substances released are:

Carbon monoxide. Being in a smoky room, a non-smoking person often experiences severe headache, nausea. This is the result of the action on the body carbon monoxide. When inhaling this harmful substance, a person experiences real oxygen starvation.
Nitric oxide. If inhaled, it is very toxic and affects the respiratory tract.
Aldehydes are toxic substances. If they enter the human respiratory tract, they cause severe irritation; in addition, aldehydes have a depressing effect on nervous system. Formaldehyde is especially dangerous, since its concentration in the air is several times higher than the amount that enters the smoker’s body.
Hydrogen cyanide. Highly toxic substance, has a destructive effect on the body as a whole.
Acrolein. A product of incomplete combustion of tobacco, it causes severe irritation mucous membranes of the nose and bronchi.
Nitrosamine. The strongest carcinogen contained in tobacco smoke. Possesses destructive effect on the brain.

In addition to those mentioned, tobacco smoke contains an additional 4,000 substances harmful to health, of which more than fifty are carcinogens - substances that can cause the development of malignant tumors.
Video about the dangers of passive smoking:

What's the harm?

Tobacco smoke itself is very unpleasant - it is instantly absorbed into clothes, hair, and has a specific smell. on the body can be short-term and long-term. Inhaling tobacco combustion products for a short period of time will not cause significant harm to the body and health; all harmful components will quickly be neutralized the immune system. But staying in a room where people constantly smoke for a long time causes great harm the body does not smoking man.

Almost all body systems are affected:

Respiratory system. Tobacco smoke irritates the olfactory receptors, dries out the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract, that leads to severe soreness in my throat and coughing. Over time, an unsuspecting non-smoker may develop allergic rhinitis, smoothly developing into vasomotor rhinitis. This is far from harmless condition accompanied by persistent swelling and nasal discharge, can lead to oxygen starvation brain cells, sleep apnea and other unpleasant consequences. No less dangerous is a disease such as asthma. Asthma occurs five times more often in passive smokers than in people exposed to tobacco smoke. You should not ignore such deadly ones dangerous diseases, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cancer.
. Toxins contained in the smoke exhaled by a person who smokes have a negative impact on blood vessels: the elasticity of blood vessels decreases, the risk of developing atherosclerosis and angina increases, which in turn leads to coronary disease hearts. Insufficient oxygen supply to brain tissue due to inhalation of toxic products of cigarette smoke leads to increased risk development of stroke - extremely serious condition, in which brain cells die.
Nervous system. Prolonged inhalation of air saturated with cigarette smoke irritates a non-smoker and leads to chronic stress that's not in the best possible way affects the state of the nervous system. The huge amount of nicotine contained in tobacco smoke is especially harmful to the nervous system. Nicotine first activates and then depresses the nervous system, which can result in overexcitation and insomnia, nausea, dizziness and other unpleasant symptoms.
Reproductive system. The following facts are known - wives heavy smokers, especially those who smoke at home, over time lose the ability to conceive, their menstrual cycle, early ovarian depletion appears.

There is an opinion that passive smoking is more harmful than active smoking - and this problem was examined by researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer. And it is true. At first glance, both active and passive smokers inhale the same smoke. But there are irrefutable facts, echoing the fact that a person without nicotine addiction are several times more at risk of developing cancer.

According to data, sidestream smoke contains about 400 thousand chemicals, and 69 of them are carcinogens, which are present in higher concentrations in smoky air than in direct smoking. For example: there is 3-4 times more benzopyrene in the side stream, 50-100 times more volatile nitrosamines. All this is a direct answer to the question why passive smoking is more harmful than active smoking.

For children

Adults can at least somehow save themselves from unwanted inhalation of smoking products. Small children are not able to do this. The harm that comes from cigarette smoke is simply enormous. The amount of toxins that Small child received along with tobacco smoke, can completely kill his immunity. One should take into account the fact that the child is constantly under the influence of tobacco, because he is not able to leave or ventilate the room.

Studies have shown that the risk of a child contracting colds, respiratory diseases, and allergies increases by 95% if a smoking mother breastfeeds the child, and by 70% if the mother holds the baby in her arms while smoking.

Absolutely all diseases characteristic of adults occur in small passive smokers - asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, rhinitis and otitis, problems with gastrointestinal tract, respiratory and allergic diseases, malignant neoplasms.

Children whose parents smoke in their presence are at high risk of developing neurological problems. Already in early age Such children differ from their peers at a slower pace physical development, which entail violation psycho-emotional sphere, after all, both of these areas are closely interconnected at an early age.

The baby, being under the constant influence of toxins, becomes extremely lethargic, apathetic and painful, or, conversely, inattentive, aggressive and hyperactive child. Subsequently, this will certainly affect the child’s education at school and his relationships with peers.

For pregnant

Passive smoking is very dangerous for the life and health of an unborn baby. Pregnant women who expose themselves and their unborn child to cigarette smoke must understand that they are in a close biological relationship with the child, and the toxins they inhale will certainly enter the child's bloodstream.

How does this threaten the fetus?

the most great danger- this is the death of a baby in the womb;
slowing down the growth and development of the child. Passive smokers, as well as smoking mothers, often give birth to low birth weight babies;
the risk of having a child increases birth defects: cleft lip, cleft palate, clubfoot, strabismus;
violation placental blood flow leads to fetal hypoxia, which entails the birth of a child with possible deviations in intellectual development.

In addition, women who are forced long time inhale tobacco smoke, there are more serious problems with pregnancy, toxicosis is common, high risk premature birth, which will require further careful care and special attention to the newborn.
In the video about the dangers of passive smoking for pregnant women:

Consequences

All over the world from dire consequences Passive smoking kills about 600,000 people every year. These statistics were provided by World organization healthcare. About 400,000 of this number die from heart disease, in second place is mortality from respiratory diseases - 165,000 people, asthma firmly ranks third in mortality from the consequences of passive smoking. And ends this scary statistics Death from lung cancer is about 22,000 people per year.

There are a lot of children among the victims of passive smoking - more than 150,000 people. These are the children whose parents did not think about the fact that tobacco smoke was causing fatal harm to their baby and smoked right in front of him. Most often, children die from respiratory diseases caused by inhaling toxic cigarette smoke; in addition, mortality from SIDS, pneumonia and asthma is high.

Women around the world have been found to be more susceptible to illnesses caused by inhaling second-hand smoke. Quantity ratio dead women to men, alas, not in favor of the former. This means that women are generally not recommended to be in smoky rooms.

How to protect yourself?

If you rid your home and working space it is not possible from smokers, then at least you can mitigate the consequences of inhaling cigarette smoke by following simple rules:

Ventilation and humidification of the room.
Installation of additional ventilation devices in smoking areas.
Selection special places for smoking and a ban on smoking in public places.
Choose non-smoking establishments.
Take a shower and change clothes after being in smoky places.

Passive smoking is the forced constant inhalation of smoke coming from a cigarette or a nearby smoker. Inhaling air contaminated with tobacco smoke is passive smoking. The idea that a person who inhales smoke does not suffer any harm from being near a smoker is false. It has been proven that a person who spends a large amount of time near people who smoke suffers more harm than the smoker himself.

Numerous studies prove that harm caused to a passive smoker, subsequently constantly being near a smoking person leads to the following diseases:

A person who constantly inhales tobacco smoke and does not smoke is more susceptible to lung cancer than a person who has no contact with cigarettes or people who use them.

Composition of tobacco smoke

Passive smoking is dangerous the fact that the smoke obtained from a subsequently smoked cigarette contains a large amount of harmful substances: about four thousand and fifty carcinogens that can cause cancer. It consists of substances such as:

All these toxic substances negatively affect health. It is especially unfair when the smoker’s loved ones suffer from this and inhale these harmful substances against their will.

Effect on the child and pregnant women

Constant inhalation of second-hand smoke has a very bad effect on children. They may lag behind in development, both mental and physical. Decreased immunity entails the likelihood large quantity diseases such as:

At the same time, a small organism that has not yet formed is not able to fight this. Children become irritable, restless or too calm, and their sleep is disturbed. This also negatively affects both pregnant women and the fetus. In pregnant women who are exposed to second-hand smoke every day, the following may occur:

miscarriages;
premature birth;
birth of premature babies;
allergic diseases of the child.

Why is passive smoking more harmful than active smoking?

When a person smokes a cigarette, the poisonous smoke he is already familiar with, to which he is accustomed, enters his body, but when this smoke is exhaled, a huge amount of harmful substances enters the air, and this amount is several times higher than the poisons received by the smoker himself. The body of a non-smoker is not adapted to this, and smoke can cause him:

And also these toxic substances for a long time stored indoors. Therefore, it is necessary to ventilate the room at least 4 times a day, especially if the room is a permanent place for a smoker. It is imperative to do wet cleaning frequently, since all the fumes and all the poisons resulting from smoking settle on objects, walls, furniture, clothes and even the hair of the person who smoked or was present.

Lungs of a passive smoker

The respiratory organs suffer in any case, whether through passive or active inhalation of tobacco smoke. It destroys the villi located on the bronchi, which serve as filters and bring everything to the surface. With regular inhalation of this substance, loss of villi further increases the risk of cancer. The tars found in tobacco smoke settle on the walls of the lungs, the blood vessels become clogged, and as a result, a person is exposed to colds, pneumonia and bronchial asthma.

Any person, even a seasoned smoker who has never let go of a cigarette since childhood, knows: smoking is harmful, since it leads to deterioration of the immune system, has a detrimental effect on the psyche - everything negative sides It would take a long time to list smoking. In some cases, smoking resulted in lung cancer, throat cancer and others. unpleasant consequences. It is known that a drop of nicotine, which is contained in tobacco smoke, incapacitates a healthy horse. Many people decided never to smoke, many were able to give up this habit, saving money and health on smoking. However, not everyone knows that simply not smoking does not mean not suffering from smoking; not everyone knows that there are two types of smoking: active and passive. With active smoking, everything is clear: I took a cigarette and smoked it. What about smoking? And is it really possible to smoke without even touching a cigarette? And if someone smokes, does he really harm not only himself?

Passive smoking is inhalation non-smoking smoke coming from a smoker's cigarettes. You don’t have to smoke, but just stand next to a friend taking a drag from a cigarette. If you inhale smoke, the effect on your health may be the same as smoking part of a cigarette. It is worth saying that in an hour, passive smokers can absorb into their bodies half as much carbon dioxide, toxins and other poisons as an active smoker in one cigarette smoked. However, they still absorb these substances, which is important for his health; During the specified time, a non-smoker can inhale about 14 mg of harmful substances contained in the resin. A burning cigarette is a source of two smoke flows: main and side. The main flow is inhaled by the smoker. And the side smoke flow can be “enjoyed” by passive smokers standing nearby. Besides, it’s one thing when, for example, you’re standing next to a smoker on fresh air, and the wind blows the smoke in the other direction, but it’s completely different when you are in a closed room where you smoked a lot. In such rooms, the air is usually simply saturated with tobacco smoke.

If you are a supporter healthy image life, you should be well aware of what passive smoking is. After spending a few minutes in a smoking room or some other room for a few minutes, you actually did the same thing that any smoker does - inhaled a portion of smoke. And this smoke is unsafe for your health because it contains high concentration harmful substances, which often cause various oncological diseases. Therefore, we can say that passive smokers are actually the same smokers, only they save on cigarettes and suffer less from the harm of tobacco than active smokers. However, they are also affected by tobacco smoke.

The harm of passive smoking is clear. Its consequences are: respiratory, cardiovascular and other diseases, including cancer. In a word, all the same diseases that avid cigarette lovers often suffer from.

However, the harm of passive smoking for children is especially obvious. Due to the effects of tobacco smoke, a child exposed to it is several times more likely to ever develop brain cancer - even if his mother does not use tobacco products. Young passive smokers, exposed to the harmful effects of tobacco smoke, are much more likely to suffer from allergies, respiratory diseases, asthma, middle ear diseases, caries, and even such a serious disease as tuberculosis. The harm of passive smoking for children is also that for such a child, who often inhales harmful cigarette smoke, the likelihood of becoming an “active” smoker is much higher. It is likely that a child who occasionally inhales tobacco smoke will suffer from developmental delays. Children's passive smoking is often the result of stupidity and irresponsibility of parents. To protect the health of children, parents should not smoke in the apartment, in front of children, or take children into rooms with “smoky” air.

It is worth mentioning separately that great harm Second-hand smoke exists for pregnant women and especially for fetuses in their wombs. Substances from tobacco smoke can cause the birth of a handicapped child, who may be seriously delayed in development for a significant part of his life, or even be born disabled. In addition, this may well cause a miscarriage. It is worth saying that for families planning to have a child, it is important to break away from smoking - eliminating both active and passive varieties, especially if any of them married couple is a smoker. First of all, this concerns the expectant mother, since the harm of passive smoking exists even for an unborn child.