Brilio.net - Have you ever been next to a smoker? If yes, indirectly you are a smoker too, you know. However, unlike active smokers who inhale cigarette smoke intentionally, you are called passive smokers who inhale smoke when active smokers exhale it.
There are two reasons why you become a passive smoker, the first is mainstream smoke exhaled by someone who smokes. Meanwhile, the second is side smoke that comes from the ends of cigarettes, cigars and the like which light up because they are burned. This type of smoke has higher levels of nicotine and cancer- causing substances (carcinogens) than regular cigarette smoke.
If you become a passive smoker you will inhale the same nicotine and toxic chemicals as active smokers. The more cigarette smoke that contains dangerous chemicals that you inhale, the greater your chances of developing lung cancer. Ironically, secondhand smoke does not have a safe level of exposure. So it can be concluded that passive smoking is as dangerous as active smoking.
According to the World Health Organization, lung cancer is the main cause of cancer deaths worldwide. This death rate is the highest for men and women. Even more surprising, smoking is the main cause of lung cancer in people. From the same source, it was stated that cases of smokers suffering from lung cancer accounted for around 85 percent of all cases.
WHO also says that more than 8 million people die every year due to tobacco use. In addition, the United Nations (UN) revealed that 3.3 million users died from diseases related to the lungs. This number includes people who are exposed to cigarettes from active smokers, such as more than 60,000 children under the age of 5 who died from lower respiratory tract infections due to secondhand smoke.
From the explanation above, it can be concluded that active and passive smoking activities are equally dangerous for health and survival. Therefore, you must know the dangers of cigarette smoke, the symptoms and how to prevent it.
The dangers of cigarette smoke
Passive smoking risks lung cancer
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Launching from Harvard University School of Public Health in 1977, it was projected that death and illness rates due to tobacco use would increase almost 3-fold throughout the world in 20 to 25 years.
Another study led by Richard Doll of the Oxford University Center linked smoking to lung cancer in the 1950s. The main diseases caused by smoking are cancer, cardiovascular disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The same experts found that the consequences of smoking cause three million people to die every year and this figure continues to increase. They also predict that in most countries, conditions will continue to worsen. According to a journal written by Hoffman D, cigarette smoke has a very complex mixture containing around 4,800 different compounds. More than 100 compounds are carcinogens, cocardinogens and mutagens. In addition, contents such as ozone, formaldehyde, ammonia, carbon monoxide, toluene and benzene, and about 10 particles of different sizes in each mL of primary smoke. A number of toxic substances such as mutagenic substances that trigger tumors and carcinogenic substances.
The impact of passive smoking
Passive smoking risks lung cancer
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Exposure to cigarette smoke not only impacts active smokers, but also impacts people who don't smoke (passive smokers) who are exposed to cigarette smoke in public places or at home. The risks posed by passive smoking vary from coughing to serious illness. Therefore, you must know the symptoms caused by cigarette smoke in passive smokers. Here's the explanation:
1. Lung cancer
Passive smokers can get very deadly diseases such as lung cancer. Exposure to inhaled smoke will enter the lungs so that it accumulates and becomes lung cancer.
2. Heart disease
Reporting from the National Library of Medicine, exposure to cigarette smoke can cause heart disease. Passive smoking reduces the blood's ability to deliver oxygen to the heart and interferes with its performance. The effect that is felt due to cigarette smoke is a decrease in the ability to exercise.
3. Strokes
Stroke can also haunt the lives of people who are exposed to cigarette smoke (passive smoking). Reporting from cdc.gov, a stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is blocked or a blood vessel in the brain bursts, causing part of the brain to be damaged or die. Stroke can cause disability (such as paralysis, muscle weakness, difficulty speaking, memory loss), and even death.
4. Sudden infant death syndrome
Passive smoking increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, which is the unexplained and unexpected death of a baby. This is the main cause of death in healthy babies under one year of age due to exposure to cigarette smoke.
5. Ear disease in children
Passive smoke can affect babies and children. The result of exposure to smoke can be ear infections in children.
6. Asthma
Asthma can also be caused by exposure to cigarette smoke. Asthma can threaten breathing, making it difficult for sufferers to breathe.
How to prevent cigarette smoke
Passive smoking risks lung cancer
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Toxins from cigarette smoke can linger in the air for a long time and cigarette smoke can even stick to clothes and skin. Therefore, you must know how to prevent cigarette smoke, especially passive smokers, as follows:
- Don't let family members smoke in the house, tell them to stop smoking.
- Put a no smoking sign at the front door of the house, so that visiting guests will appreciate that your house is free from cigarette smoke.
- Get rid of all ashtrays.
- Turn on the fan to get rid of cigarette smoke.
- Teach your child how to politely tell other people to stop smoking.
- Teach children the dangers of smoking and never try to smoke.
- Keep children away from cigarette smoke.
- Choose a place to eat and drink that is smoke-free or provides a smoke-free room.
- Do not use designated smoking rooms for any activities.
- Don't be embarrassed and hesitate to admonish friends or family not to smoke when gathering.
There are tips for cleaning the lungs of passive smokers that you can try to improve your health.
1. Maintain clean air at home
The house is a place that must be safe and free from exposure to cigarette smoke. Therefore, keeping home air clean is important to do.
2. Exercise regularly
Regular exercise helps you to clean your lungs from exposure to cigarette smoke. Apart from that, the effects of exercise can make you healthier and reduce diseases that can attack you, such as stroke and heart disease.
3. Breathe fresh air often
Breathing fresh air is the key to expanding the lungs so they work better. To get fresh air, you can spend time in the highlands or mountains.
4. Drink enough water
Drinking lots of water will help hydrate the body and get rid of toxins and chemicals in cells, including the lungs. You should drink at least 8-12 glasses of water per day.
5. Get antioxidant intake
Antioxidants can help you to clean your lungs from exposure to cigarette smoke. Antioxidants are compounds that fight free radicals. Apart from that, antioxidants can also reduce inflammation in the body.