Secondhand Smoke Can Damage Lungs

Do you know someone who smokes in your home and your office? Then that person must know that he or she is a contributor to second-hand smoke, which is more dangerous than actually smoking! Secondhand smoke can damage your lungs more.

Secondhand smoke (SHS) is a mixture of smoke that is exhaled by a smoker and smoke from the lighted end of a cigarette. When a non-smoker is near a smoker, he or she takes in secondhand smoke.

Smoke can persist in the air for many hours and can move 20 feet away from the smoker. It has more than 7,000 harmful chemicals, 70 of which can lead to cancer.

Any type of secondhand smoke is hazardous. It can cause various health issues in infants and children such as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), asthma, lung infections, ear infections and asthma.

Smoking during pregnancy causes about 1,000 infant deaths every year.

Lung cancer, stroke and coronary heart disease are some of the health problems caused in adults by secondhand smoke.

How Does Secondhand Smoke Damages Lungs?

When a non-smoking person is exposed to secondhand smoke, this is known as passive or involuntary smoking. He or she will inhale the same amount of nicotine and other toxic chemicals as smokers do. The more you inhale SHS, the higher will be the amount of toxic chemicals in your body.

SHS affects the proper functioning of lungs, particularly if you already suffering from asthma or other respiratory problems. Secondhand smoke can also cause lung cancer in adults who have never smoked. Non-smokers are at high risk of developing lung cancer with exposure to SHS. Even a short-time exposure to SHS can harm cells in a way that can trigger cancer.

Secondhand Smoke and Children’s Health

Infants and young children are highly affected by SHS. Children get exposed to smoke at home from their parents or others. SHS exposure triggers asthma attacks and makes asthma symptoms worsen. It can also cause asthma in children who never had symptoms before.

Lung infections, including pneumonia and bronchitis, are caused by secondhand smoke. Coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath are seen among children with SHS exposure.

Studies show that SHS exposure can reduce the levels of vitamin D3 in the body. On the whole, secondhand smoke exposure can lead to health problems and can eventually damage lungs.

If you know someone who smokes, tell that person to stop smoking now!

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-Medical Observer