|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Article Navigation
|
How Second Hand Smoke Threatens Your Healthby: Alex Fir Secondhand smoking, breathing in of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), is also called passive smoking. It is when a person breathes in smoke given off into the environment by other people. Secondhand smoke or ETS is a combination of side stream smoke coming straight from the burning tobacco and the mainstream smoke that is exhaled by the smoker. It comprises of over 4000 chemical constituents, a large proportion of which are the inducers of respiratory illnesses and around 40 are known or suspected carcinogens. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified ETS as a class A (known human) carcinogen along with other known carcinogens such as arsenic, asbestos and benzene etc. ETS is unfiltered, thus the levels of carcinogens in it are much more than in smoke inhaled directly by an active smoker. Smoking of a cigarette produces smoke from two major places, mainly from the tip of cigarette and from the rest of the cigarette as the hot vapors liberated through the cigarette and its filter. About 70% to 80 % of ETS is from the burning tip of cigarette and comprises of the highest levels of nicotine, carbon monoxide, tar and various other carcinogens. Therefore, a constant exposure to an ETS is apparently even more injurious than directly smoking a cigarette for an equivalent period. Effects of Exposure to Secondhand Smoke Immediate effects: Immediate effects of secondhand smoking comprise of eye irritation, cough, sore throat, headache, nausea and dizziness. Long-term effects: Lung cancer: The major cause of lung cancer among non-smokers is secondhand smoke. One of the studies revealed that hospitality workers who were exposed to secondhand smoke became three times more prone to lung cancer. Cardiovascular problems: ETS can induce short-term and long-term harm to the heart by decreasing its functional capacity and lowering the capacity of blood to carry oxygen. Some of the chemicals in secondhand smoke can block or harden the arteries, causing problems like atherosclerosis, hypertension and later heart attack. In one of the studies, it was found that secondhand smoking enhances the risk of a heart attack by at least two times. Stroke: Non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke run at least 80% more risk of stroke than do the non-exposed people. Asthma: One of the studies revealed that the non-smokers exposed to ETS at work showed at least twice the risk of asthma than the non-exposed people did. Those who were exposed to ETS at home as well, showed as much as five times greater risk for asthma than the non-exposed people did. In individuals who already suffer from asthma, exposure to ETS can significantly decline their lung function. Breast Cancer: Some of the recent studies have revealed ETS to increase the risk of breast cancer among women. Effects on the fetus: Smoking by a pregnant woman can have various serious consequences on the developing fetus. • Babies born to women who smoked during their pregnancy have a low birth weight and are often born prematurely. • Their organs, chiefly the lungs, are smaller than of other babies and these babies are more susceptible to cot death. • They are more prone to illness all their life and are more likely to become addicted to the tobacco later in their life. Effect on Children • Kids that are exposed to secondhand smoke from either parent during the first year of their lives are far more likely to be afflicted with asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis, bronchiolitis and other respiratory problems than kids who were not exposed. • Secondhand smoking may also predispose children to the impairment of the blood circulatory system, behavioral problems and olfactory (nasal) problems. • It also increases their susceptibility to develop cancer during their adulthood. Latest Cancer News:FDA panel votes against Xgeva for prostate cancer A panel of cancer experts voted against a new use for Amgen's Xgeva in prostate cancer on Wednesday, saying the drug's ability to slow the spread of the disease did not translate into meaningful benefits for patients Breast cancer kills older women more often NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Breast cancer is often considered more deadly among younger women, but a new study shows older women are actually more likely to die of the disease. Researchers found that among women who had been diagnosed with a certain type of breast cancer, those over 75 years old were 63 percent more likely to die of the cancer than women younger than 65. "I suspect it's ... Breast cancer charity chases Komen defectors As a prominent breast cancer researcher and activist, Susan Love is no stranger to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Love runs a breast cancer research foundation that bears her name, and she organized the Army of Women , more than 360,000 women to whom breast cancer researchers can blast out requests for subjects. But the Komen Foundation is so entrenched in the world of breast cancer fundraising ... A Better Way to Spend Breast Cancer Funds? We must move breast cancer advocacy to the next level, beyond screening for cancers that are already there, even beyond the cure, to finding the cause, writes Dr. Susan Love. Cancer-hit cricketer Yuvraj vows to return stronger India's cancer-stricken World Cup hero Yuvraj Singh has vowed to return "stronger than ever" to competitive cricket, saying he was responding well to treatment in the United States. Doxil/Caelyx (Ovarian Cancer) - Analysis and Forecasts to 2020 NEW YORK, Feb. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue: Doxil/Caelyx (Ovarian Cancer) - Analysis and Forecasts to 2020 http://www.reportlinker.com/p0657184/Doxil/Caelyx-Ovarian-Cancer---Analysis-and-Forecasts-to-2020.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=PathologyDoxil/Caelyx ... Triple Analysis: Lung Cancer, Angiogenesis and Cancer Vaccines NEW YORK, Feb. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue: Triple Analysis: Lung Cancer, Angiogenesis and Cancer Vaccines http://www.reportlinker.com/p0284988/Triple-Analysis-Lung-Cancer-Angiogenesis-and-Cancer-Vaccines.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Drug_and_MedicationThis ... Marian Regional Medical Center Receives CEO Cancer Gold Standard Accreditation The CEO Roundtable on Cancer recently accredited Marian Regional Medical Center with the CEO Cancer Gold Standard? recognizing the hospital?s efforts to reduce the risk of cancer f Breast Cancer Drug May Weaken Bones, Study Finds TUESDAY, Feb. 7 (HealthDay News) -- A drug used to prevent breast cancer in women at high risk for the disease appears to cause bone loss in some postmenopausal women, a new study finds. Marc Garnick Answers 6 Key Questions about Prostate Cancer Marc Garnick Answers 6 Key Questions about Prostate Cancer Breast cancer kills older women more often - Fox News
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Copyright © 2006 CancerAdvice.org