How dangerous is passive smoking?

Tobacco is a serious public health problem, not only for those who smoke directly but also for those around them.

Long term, dangerous effects

In addition to the harm caused to the direct smoker, those who inhale cigarette smoke still face long-term harm, which can even be more dangerous than direct smoking.

Tobacco is a serious public health problem, not only for those who smoke directly but also for those around them.

Passive smoking is the act of inhaling secondhand smoke from other people, both mainstream smoke (smoke exhaled by the smoker) and sidestream smoke (smoke emitted from the burning end of a cigarette).

This smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, including at least 70 carcinogens, as well as toxic substances such as carbon monoxide (CO), formaldehyde, ammonia and many other harmful compounds. Therefore, non-smokers who live or work in an environment where people smoke are at high risk of health problems.

Passive smoking not only affects adults but can also cause serious harm to children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems. Specifically, it increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, lung cancer and respiratory diseases.

Doctor Nguyen Trung Nguyen, Director of the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital, said that secondhand smoke contains many carcinogens, such as formaldehyde, benzene and nitrosamine.

These substances can damage lung cells, increasing the risk of lung cancer and other respiratory diseases such as chronic bronchitis, asthma, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)...

According to experts, children exposed to secondhand smoke are at risk of respiratory diseases, flu, dry cough, even pneumonia and ear infections.

These children are also at risk of developing neurodevelopmental and intellectual problems, especially when they are exposed to secondhand smoke in infancy and early childhood.

Pregnant women exposed to secondhand smoke may experience serious problems such as premature birth, slow fetal growth or birth defects.

Smoking can reduce the amount of oxygen supplied to the fetus, leading to health problems both during pregnancy and after birth.

People with respiratory conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, COPD or heart disease are at risk of serious harm from exposure to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke increases inflammation and worsens symptoms.

At Thanh Nhan Hospital, according to doctors here, many people coming for examination are currently diagnosed with lung, cardiovascular, dental diseases... related to tobacco, in which, there are many cases of passive smoking.

Quitting smoking is not as difficult as many people think.

According to statistics from the World Health Organization, each year, there are about 600,000 deaths worldwide due to passive smoking. Of these, 64% are women. It is estimated that for every 10 smokers who die, 1 person dies from passive smoking.

Doctor Nguyen Trung Nguyen recommends that if you are a smoker, you should quit smoking. Stop smoking to protect your health and the health of those around you.

According to this doctor, nicotine in cigarettes does not cause withdrawal or stimulation like other drugs, so people can completely quit smoking if they are determined.

Doctors also recommend that if you are addicted to tobacco and cannot quit completely, you should limit smoking in closed rooms and only smoke in spaces where smoking is allowed. When quitting smoking, you should see a doctor for support and effective smoking cessation medications.

The 2013 Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms clearly stipulates places where smoking is prohibited. In particular, areas where smoking is completely prohibited are: Medical facilities; educational facilities; facilities for care, nurturing, entertainment and recreation exclusively for children; facilities or areas with high risk of fire and explosion; indoor areas in public places.

However, enforcement of the law is still limited due to lack of people to check and impose fines, so there are still many acts of smoking in prohibited places. The best health protection measure is to quit smoking.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/hut-thuoc-la-thu-dong-nguy-hai-the-nao-d231783.html