
Passive smoking is breathing in the smoke of other smokers, while not smoking a cigarette, cigar or pipe.
Tobacco smoke lingers in the air hours after cigarettes have been extinguished and it is involuntarily inhaled by non smokers.
According to the American Cancer Society, 35,000–40,000 people who are not smokers die of heart disease because of passive smoking.
Passive smoke is a known cause of lung cancer, heart disease, chronic lung ailments such as bronchitis and asthma (particularly in children), and low birth-weight births.
Even a half hour of passive smoke exposure causes heart damage similar to that of habitual smokers. Non smokers’ heart arteries showed a reduced ability to dilate, diminishing the ability of the heart to get life-giving blood.
Pregnant women exposed to passive smoking are more likely to have sleep disturbances such as subjective insufficient sleep, difficulty in initiating sleep, short sleep duration, and snoring loudly or breathing uncomfortably, according to research.
Researchers at the Perth’s Telethon Institute for Child Health Research have discovered a strong link between childhood ear infections and exposure to passive smoking.
Though death due to passive smoking are comparatively lower than active smoking, it is not something which we cannot snub out as the exposure to second hand smoke can lead to serious health complications, even death which could otherwise be avoided.
The immediate effects of second hand smoke include dizziness, eye irritation, cough, headache, sore throat, and nausea. Non-smokers who are exposed to second hand at the confine of homes have 25% chances of suffering from lung cancer and heart diseases. Children have a high risk of suffering from Bronchitis, Pneumonia, Bronchiolitis and Asthma if exposed to second hand smoke.
State lawmakers continue to debate a proposed state smoking ban. Under discussion now is an idea that would allow restaurants that welcome children to ban smoking while others with age requirements could allow smoking.
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