Toxic Risks of Passive Smoking

In modern society, the problem of smoking is of high concern not only for smokers. The warning for passive smoking should have been claimed primarily to the one appealing to the people who purchase cigarettes. Passive smoking or secondhand smoking (SHS) is an issue relevant for everyone; as smokers affect their own health and the health of non-smokers to an equal extent. According to the research of the World Health Organization, only six out of ten believe that smoking damages the nonsmoker; only two-thirds of nonsmokers are aware of that, and just half of all smokers know about that (2017). Involuntary smoking or passive smoking is dangerous in its ways: the smoke consumed comes from the smoker exhaling it as well as from the lit cigarette. Conditioning and ventilating systems are not able to protect nonsmokers from being exposed to SHS, nor is separating smokers from nonsmokers useful.

The fact is that any amount of secondhand smoke is harmful; there is no safe limit for nonsmokers. Based on data retrieved from research, secondhand smoke that was not inhaled tends to turn into thirdhand smoke (THS) or residual tobacco smoke (American Cancer Society, 2015). For months, it gets stored in dust and on surfaces at homes, in offices, and in cars. The substance is dangerous for its carcinogens leading to lung cancer. Evidence shows, that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the carcinogens, were detected in the dust collected in the smoker's houses. This implies that multi-unit houses are a reasonable way to deal with the SHS issue at home; separated offices for smokers and nonsmokers will help to tackle the problem at the office.

Cancer is the most widespread consequence of secondhand smoke. Only in the US about 3,000 lung cancer deaths a year are stated to be caused by SHS, while less than 100 lung cancer deaths per year are the outcomes of ordinary outdoor air pollution (World Health Organization, 2017). As a rule, smokers prefer not to get deep into the death statistics; however, nonsmokers should pay attention to the variety of disorders they are exposed to from SHS. Those include not just lung cancer, but also the following: brain, bladder, breast, rectum, pharynx, and stomach cancers (American Cancer Society, 2015). Cancer cells vary as well as their inhibition body organs do, but they have one source, and that is secondhand smoking.

SHS at home is a challenge mainly at home, where people spend most of their time and where their children are inhaling the smoke. Secondhand smoking along with thirdhand smoking leads children to the following diseases: leukemia, brain tumors, lymphoma, and liver cancer (American Cancer Society, 2015). Smoking parents rarely expect their habit to affect their children. However, the issue concerns even infants. Studies show, that children inhaling SHS not only get ear infections, lung infections, and asthma more often, but also are exposed to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) (American Cancer Society, 2015). Moreover, further research revealed, that THS impacts human DNA provoking serious disorders for the next generations (American Cancer Society, 2015). The results of the studies conducted represent that the only treatment for SHS outcomes underlies in elimination of smoking sources.

The studies worldwide provide intimidating statistics and findings on passive smoking drawing public attention to this issue. The smoking problem is spread more than just at a certain place of human activity; sadly, smokers smoke at home, as well as in public places and offices. Health organizations perform research not simply to warn the smokers of the problem, but rather to attract the attention of the nonsmokers as well. The issue concerns every person on the planet, especially the children who get exposed to toxic substances causing incurable diseases and deaths. To solve the problem, public and governmental measures should be applied to divide smokers from nonsmokers in every public place. More to that, people should be aware of the problem of choosing a healthy smoking-free lifestyle.