Smoking does not only affect smokers. Family members and other people spending time in the same environment as smokers may be negatively impacted by smoking – even if they don’t smoke themselves. Quitting smoking is thus positive for both you and others. Your family and friends also benefit from you quitting.
Passive smoking is when you don’t smoke yourself, but when you are exposed to smoke from other people in your environment. You are thus affected by the damaging aspects caused by smoking.
To be exposed to passive smoking - or second-hand smoke, as it is sometimes referred to – for extended periods of time, is as serious a health threat as traditional smoking. Passive smoking causes approximately 7,300 deaths from lung cancer and 34,000 deaths from heart disease each year in America.
To breathe in second-hand tobacco smoke is largely the same as smoking yourself. A person exposed to passive smoking thus risks breathing in as many harmful substances and toxins as the actual smoker themselves. For anyone sensitive to smoke, passive smoking can also cause discomfort and respiratory issues. In addition, cigarette smoke smells bad. The odour contaminates a non-smoker’s clothes and hair as easily as that of smokers.
Common symptoms and problems from passive smoking include:
What happens to the body when one smokes? We have listed side effects from smoking here.
The amount of smoke, and the duration of passive smoking exposure, is obviously directly linked to the severity of the negative health outcomes one risks suffering from:
Are you a smoker, but wish to minimise the health risks to your friends and family? Remember to:
Children and tobacco make a very bad combination, and small children are particularly sensitive to passive smoking. Children growing up in an environment with tobacco smoke suffer more frequently from airway and ear infections than children growing up in a smoke-free home. This is because their lungs have been negatively affected, with mucous membranes and airways more susceptible to infections.
Are you a new parent? Be aware that passive smoking increases the risk of SIDS – sudden infant death syndrome. Keeping the home free from tobacco smoke is the safest and healthiest option. 🚭
A parent who quits smoking contributes greatly, not only to their personal health, but also to that of their children and partner. The family are much more likely to stay healthy, and they potentially also get to spend more time together.
Pregnant women are recommended to stay away from smoky environments as much as possible. Smoke inhaled by the mother affects the foetus severely. For example, the baby is more likely to suffer from allergies or asthma.
Unfortunately, there are many more risks. A study shows that passive smoking during a pregnancy may lead to significantly impaired motor skills and attention levels in the baby. A child, whose mother has been exposed to passive smoking during the pregnancy, is more prone to become a smoker themselves during their teens.
Not only people’s health is at risk when it comes to passive smoking. Our four-legged friends suffer as well if anyone in the family smokes. A study from the University of Glasgow shows that the risk of a pet getting cancer is elevated in households where people smoke.
Cats are at particular risk 😿. Smoke easily gets caught in the cat’s fur and researchers believe cats digest large amounts of harmful substances when they clean themselves (by licking).
Don’t forget that our pets have very sensitive noses. Many people find tobacco odour disgusting. It’s reasonable to believe that dogs, with their strong sense of smell, are suffering even more than we are.