Respiratory Health Effects of Passive Smoking

There are over 4000 chemicals in a cigarette out of which around fifty are carcinogenic! But this dangerous fact has not shown any remarkable effect in the control of smoking and people are still smoking heavily. Cigarette smoking ranks number one in the list of preventable causes of deaths. Tobacco is the chief damage causing ingredient in a cigarette and prolonged exposure to it results in fatal complications. When a person smokes, all the chemicals make their way into the body and cause slow damage which gives birth to various diseases. Asthma, skin disorders, bronchitis, liver complications, coronary heart diseases and cancer are some of the diseases caused by smoking. Also a smoker not only does harm to himself but also to the people around him. It is the indirect inhalation of the smoke by a person; the details are given below.

What is Passive Smoking

Passive or second hand smoking needs no introduction. It is the inhalation of tobacco smoke 'passively' or 'indirectly' by a person who is surrounded by smokers. Non smokers are bound to be exposed to second hand smoke someway or the other. This can be exposure to smoke in restaurants where there are many people smoking, or when a person is surrounded by smoker friends, or exposure to smoke in some other public place. And passive inhalation of smoke is as dangerous as active smoking.

It is also called second hand smoking or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Exhalation of the smoke by the smoker or smoke from the burning end of the cigarette contributes to environmental tobacco smoke. Prolonged exposure to smoke from a cigarette can cause many fatal diseases such as cancer and brain tumor. A mother's exposure to passive smoke also harms the fetus and can lead to premature birth or low birth weight of the baby. Passive smoking can also increase the risk of ear, nose and throat infection in a person.

Health Effects

Lungs are the chief organs of the respiratory system, and with every breath, the lungs take in and exhale oxygen and carbon dioxide. Our respiratory system is a complex system, and the chief organs of the respiratory system are the lungs, the trachea, the pharynx, the bronchi and the nasal cavity. Continuous exposure to the tar and tobacco in the smoke harms these components of the lungs, and leads to degeneration of the respiratory system. Exposure for prolonged hours each day also increases the 'risk' of dangerous diseases like asthma, COPD, pneumonia, tuberculosis and cancer. All of these are fatal diseases and are very difficult to treat in severe cases. As we had discussed earlier, the smoke is a mixture of many chemicals, and is also warm. This combined effect does more harm to the respiratory system. The various effects on the respiratory system have been discussed below...

Throat inflammation: Smoke leads to the infection of the respiratory tract, that is the nasal and tracheal path. Throat inflammation is accompanied by cough, pain in the throat region, and pain and disorder while swallowing.

Chronic Bronchitis: Chronic bronchitis is a less severe form of the severe COPD. The smoke affects the lung airways and this leads to wheezing cough, mucus production.

Damage to the throat: Clogging of the throat is a result of damage done to the pharynx by the smoke chemicals. It leads to huskiness of the voice, pain while swallowing, and difficulty in breathing. In severe cases it leads to high fever and formation of pus in the throat.

One should remember that all these effects may get severe when you are exposed to smoke for long durations. And if you already have these problems, it will get worse with passive smoking. Various medication can cure these problems but regular exposure to smoke leaves you vulnerable to these respiratory problems. Smoking does slow fatal damage to the body. So, keep yourself away from smoking and smokers, for the best of health.