Passive smoking in children leads to. Second hand smoke

Smoking is one of the main causes that provoke the development of cancer, as well as respiratory and chronic diseases. At the same time, few people think that the health of passive smokers is no less damaged, as evidenced by numerous experiments by physicians.

In the article, we will evaluate the harm of passive smoking for children who become unwitting participants in the destructive process.

What is passive smoking?

During the combustion of tobacco, volatile chemicals are released into the surrounding atmosphere, which enter the body of not only smokers, but also those who are close to them. Repeated smog exhaled by a person is enriched with a large amount of carbon dioxide and harmful substances. Therefore, it poses much more harm to the health of passive smokers.

In the process of research, scientists found that cigarette smoke that is exhaled contains:

• 5 times more metal oxides;
• 45 times more neurotoxins and carcinogens;
• 6 times more heavy resins.

The transformed poisonous mixture of volatile chemicals is inhaled by passive smokers, resulting in pathological changes in organism.

The chemical composition of cigarette smog

Children of parents who smoke are exposed to cigarette smog on a daily basis, which over time can lead to intoxication of the body. The volatile poison formed during the combustion of cigarettes is not as harmful as secondhand smoke exhaled by a smoker. Why?

The concentration of toxic substances in passive smog increases significantly, and therefore its impact on the child's body is more detrimental.

Children who breathe tobacco smoke are poisoned by the following substances:

• carbon monoxide - a gaseous substance contained in exhaust gases;
• arsenic - a component that is used to persecute rodents (rats, mice);
• ammonia - a catalyst that is part of most hair dyes;
• hydrocyanic acid - a volatile liquid that was used to kill people in gas chambers;
• butane - a component that is obtained as a result of the processing of petroleum products;
• naphthalene - a substance used to fight moths;
• acetone - a liquid suitable for removing nail polish.

A child's body, poisoned by cigarette smoke, very quickly fails, which manifests itself in the development of serious diseases.

Effects of passive smoking

Can passive smoking pose a real threat to children? Too many people underestimate the effects of toxic substances in cigarettes. It is well known that the harm from inhaling toxic smog is complex. In other words, the toxic components of a cigarette negatively affect not a specific organ, but the health of the child as a whole.

Passive smokers are much more likely to develop cancer, and this is no coincidence.

Doctors have long proven the relationship between inhaling poisonous smog and the development of such diseases:

• Chronical bronchitis;
• pneumonia;
• neurobiological failures;
• leukemia;
• bronchial asthma;
• underdevelopment of the lungs;
• dementia;
• atherosclerosis;
• Korn's disease;
• otitis;
• throat, lung and breast cancer.

Adult smokers do not even realize that their addiction is not only harming them, but also their children. And, as practice shows, the younger the child, the greater the damage caused by cigarette smog.

What do the doctors say?

Scientists from New York University have done a great job by analyzing the condition of children in families where at least one of the parents suffers from nicotine addiction. They found that children who are forced to become passive smokers suffer not only from diseases of the ENT organs, but also from mental disorders. Studying the psychological portraits of young children, scientists came to the conclusion that their behavior is very different from the behavior of peers whose parents lead a healthy lifestyle.

• occurrence frequency oncological diseases increases by 6 times;
• the risk of developing diseases of the upper respiratory tract increases at least 3 times;
• more than 70% of small passive smokers cannot adapt normally in society;
• 50% of children behave aggressively towards their peers.

What is the effect of passive smoking on young children?

According to medical data, the body of babies is more susceptible to the effects of toxic substances contained in tobacco smoke. Over time, this leads to the development of physiological and psychological health problems. Take care of your kids!

When mom or dad smokes in front of a child, not only his physical well-being suffers. As recent studies show, passive smoking can provoke depression, hyperactivity and anxiety in little “hostages of circumstances”.

MD

Why passive smoking is dangerous

Tobacco smoke consists of two streams - main and additional. The first is formed at the moment when the smoker drags on a cigarette. This smoke enters his lungs, and from there harmful substances migrate directly into the bloodstream and spread throughout the body. The main flow, which consumes 35-40% of the cigarette, the smoker, fortunately, inhales alone. But the smoke that the "pest" exhales, as well as the smog from the charred cigarettes, is already getting to those around them. And the dose is decent, because the extra flow takes as much as 60-65% of the cigarette.

Tobacco smoke contains many highly carcinogenic substances: carbon monoxide, phenol, acetone, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, nitric oxide, radioactive polonium. In total, the charred part of a cigarette releases up to 500 components harmful to humans into the air, of which 50 are recognized as carcinogenic. Moreover, many times more toxic compounds enter the atmosphere surrounding an active smoker than into his body, because in the additional stream their concentration is higher than in the main one. So, carbon monoxide (the most harmful component of tobacco smoke) is 4-5 times more in it, nicotine and tar - 50 times, and ammonia - 45 times. An active smoker, wittingly or unwittingly, shares all this "wealth" with others. Scientists have calculated that after 1.5 hours of staying in a smoky room, the concentration of nicotine in the body of non-smokers increases by 8 times. The content of other toxic components also increases many times over.

In Russia, 40% of children are victims of domestic passive smoking.

According to doctors, passive smoking causes no less harm to health than active smoking. At least "victims of circumstances" along with "tobacophiles" are at risk of acquiring respiratory diseases (including lung cancer). Of course, health problems do not make themselves felt immediately. Sometimes it takes years for them to show up, which is why doctors talk about the delayed harm of passive smoking. It can be reduced not only to oncological diseases of the respiratory system, but also to ischemic diseases of the vessels of the heart, brain and lower extremities. The mucous membranes of the nose and eyes are also sensitive to the toxic ingredients of cigarette smoke. Sometimes it’s worth a non-smoker to just walk past a smoker, as his eyes immediately begin to water, a runny nose or cough opens.

Intrauterine "smoker"

A child can become a passive smoker even before birth. Scientists give the most unfavorable prognosis if a woman smokes during pregnancy. The bad habit is especially destructive in the early stages of gestation, when the protective barrier, namely the placenta, has not yet formed. At this stage, harmful substances contained in tobacco smoke and inhaled by the expectant mother can affect the process of laying and developing the neural tube in the baby. In addition, the risk of disorders in the development of the brain increases.

In the later stages of pregnancy, the situation is no less serious. It would seem that the placenta should at least partially retain harmful substances, but it becomes much more difficult for it to work in conditions of “smoke”. Each puff is accompanied by a powerful vascular spasm. When the lumen of the vessels narrows sharply, less blood and, accordingly, oxygen enters the crumbs. Sometimes the spasm is so persistent that part of the placenta dies and never recovers. In addition, carbon monoxide (carbon monoxide), which also enters the baby's body, enters into contact with hemoglobin. This makes it even more difficult for oxygen to reach organs and tissues, which causes hypoxia (oxygen starvation). At the same time, nicotine enters the bloodstream through the lungs of a pregnant woman and, having overcome the protective barrier (placenta), in just a few seconds it enters the central nervous system of the baby. Such processes in some cases can lead to the saddest outcome. For comparison, women who smoke have a 19% higher risk and a 33% higher chance of preterm birth. They also more often give birth to children with heart defects, strabismus, defects in the development of the nasopharynx. If future mom smokes more than 10 cigarettes per day, then the risk of having a baby with a low birth weight is doubled (at the same time, the weight of newborns is 2.2 times more likely to be below 2.5 kg). These deviations from the norm are due to the fact that carbon monoxide and nicotine contained in tobacco smoke adversely affect the growth and development of the unborn child. Doctors in such cases speak of "fetal tobacco syndrome" - by analogy with "alcoholic". The same violations can occur if a pregnant woman becomes a passive smoker (for example, if a spouse has a bad habit).

If you smoke in front of a child

If a baby becomes a passive smoker after birth, his health is also at risk. The situation is further aggravated by the fact that children turn into the most humble victims, because if an adult can be indignant or simply leave a smoky room, a baby, especially a baby, is not able to do this. And, unfortunately, as opinion polls show, this situation is very common in Russian families. So, 30.2% of dads and 31% of moms smoke at home in the presence of a child. The danger is serious, because in closed smoky rooms the concentration of toxins can be even higher than along a busy highway.

If one of the family members smokes 1-2 packs of cigarettes a day in the apartment, there will be as much nicotine in the baby's urine as in 2-3 cigarettes.

What is this trend leading to? Children who passively smoke are 2 times more likely to develop respiratory diseases, pneumonia, nocturnal cough and bronchitis. Nicotine and other toxic particles of tobacco smoke have also been found to contribute to a wide variety of allergic diseases. I even managed to find out why this is happening. Ammonia and tobacco tar (tar), formed during the combustion of a cigarette, are released into the environment, then enter the trachea, lungs, and then into the bronchi. But the harmful effects of ammonia do not end there. Dissolving in wet mucous membranes respiratory tract, it turns into ammonia, which irritates the mucous membrane and causes its increased secretion. And, finally, German scientists proved that the increase in the number of asthmatics among children is directly related to passive smoking, and doctors stated that if parents smoke in the presence of a child, the growth of the baby's lung volume is inhibited by 20-80%.

However, tobacco smoke harms not only the respiratory system: it negatively affects the metabolism, destroys useful substances and vitamins necessary for the growth and maturation of the baby. All this increases the risk of lagging behind in physical development.

For the sake of the child: there is no place for tobacco smoke at home

The only way to protect your baby from tobacco smoke is to quit the bad habit. If this does not work out in any way, you need, firstly, to stop smoking within the walls of the apartment, and secondly, to make a major overhaul. Fans, air fresheners, daily ventilation of the premises do not save the situation. The most powerful hood will not help either. Smoking in the window or on the balcony is also not an option. The thing is that most toxic substances almost do not disappear. They penetrate carpets, curtains, wallpapers, soak into clothes and hair, and insoluble resins, for example, settle on furniture and in cracks in the floor. It turns out that the apartment in which the smoker lives, like himself, is literally saturated with harmful substances. As for the air purifier, it is able to eliminate only part of the smoke. He is unable to fight with the toxins that have settled everywhere. The air conditioner filter can do a bad job: until the time comes to replace it, harmful substances will accumulate on it, which means that their concentration in the air will gradually increase.

Only a thorough renovation with the replacement of floors, ceilings, plaster, wallpaper and curtains can improve the situation. And, of course, experts advise smoking family members to satisfy their addiction only on the street.

World practice

Many countries have very strict national legislation to protect non-smokers from exposure to tobacco smoke. In Australia, all cigarettes are sold only in standard packaging with frightening photographs that clearly demonstrate the harm from smoking. In Italy, it is forbidden to smoke indoors, which are considered public places, as well as in the presence of children and pregnant women. Violators are fined 600 euros. However, the UK has set the highest penalties. Here, for violation of the ban on smoking in football stadiums, a "penalty" of 2,500 pounds sterling is due.

And in Finland you can not smoke even on the balcony of your own house. The fine for violating the ban is up to 1,000 euros. In Russia, from June 1, 2013, a ban on smoking was introduced in government institutions, universities, schools, hospitals, playgrounds, stadiums, railway stations and at the entrance to the subway. Soon it will be impossible to smoke in trains and on long-distance ships, in hotels, restaurants and on railway station platforms. Cigarettes are promised to be removed from the windows - only a price list for tobacco products will be posted at the checkout. Violators of the ban are threatened with severe fines.

You will not see anyone by the fact that smoking is harmful. At the same time (according to WHO - World Health Organization) 1.3 billion people, that is, almost every fifth inhabitant of the Earth, is dependent on tobacco products. According to the degree of addiction, tobacco smoking is second only to alcoholism, while bypassing heroin and cocaine addictions. Nevertheless, the fact that in Russia 75% of men and 26% of women smoke, and this number is constantly growing, cannot be called otherwise than terrifying. Every year, 332,000 people die worldwide from the effects of smoking, including passive smoking (WHO data). More than 30% of this amount is accounted for by child mortality.

“Children and smoking” is a sad, but extremely relevant topic, at least for the reason that a smoking dad is considered almost the norm. And this is not only a bad example, but also the constant passive smoking of a child, starting from the prenatal period. What are the consequences of inhaling tobacco smoke by young children and expectant mothers, we will tell you in today's article.

Children and smoking. Consequences of childhood smoking (active and passive)

The consequences of smoking for children are deplorable - for them, the harm caused by substances that make up cigarette smoke increases many times over. And this applies not only to active, but also to passive smoking. The body of a child is so weak and defenseless against tobacco poisons that the consequences of even passive smoking can become irreversible. Nicotine, carbon monoxide, poisonous tar - terrible enemies of children's health, preventing the body from directing all its forces to growth, development and the formation of strong immunity; in such conditions, one can only speak of survival. Growing up healthy and strong for a child who smokes or lives in a family of smokers is not realistic.

Effects of active and passive smoking on children:

1. Tobacco poisons affect all organs and systems of the body : lungs, heart and blood vessels, kidneys, liver, stomach, nervous system, etc. A link has been proven between passive smoking and the appearance of chronic diseases over time.
2. Cigarette smoke inhaled by the child disturbs the metabolism undermining health since childhood.
3. Toxic substances from tobacco smoke are toxic, they kill brain cells , making the victim of passive smoking distracted, nervous, rude, weak-willed, embittered and inadequate.
4. The intellect decreases, the physical development of the child slows down exposed to passive smoking.
5. "Hereditary" smoking . It is clear that tobacco dependence is much more likely to occur in a person whose parents (or one of the parents) smoked in childhood.

The deterioration of mental faculties due to smoking proves at least the fact that 95% of repeat students smoke. An American study of 22,000 teenagers who smoked showed that in addition to stunting, these children had a reduced size. chest and underdeveloped lungs. Smoking girls enter into sexual activity earlier and look worse than their healthy peers.

We think that the harm of anyone, including passive smoking for children, is now obvious to you. The only way to protect your child from the above dangers is to completely stop smoking.

The effect of smoking on the conception of a child

The impact of smoking on the unborn child is a concern for many families planning a pregnancy. The peak of Russian smoking falls on the most childbearing age, 20-29 years.

Smoking and conceiving a child are poorly compatible concepts. Tobacco exposure impairs the reproductive function of expectant parents , so it becomes much more difficult to conceive a baby. Infertility in women who smoke is one and a half times more common than in non-smokers!

The real fact for female smokers who seek IVF help is that 24% of embryos survive in non-smokers, and 2 times less in tobacco-dependent women.

A man's smoking can also make it harder to conceive a child. The quality of sperm deteriorates in a male smoker but that's not the worst. When planning a pregnancy, it is not in vain that both partners are advised to quit smoking: tobacco smoke directly affects DNA, can deform spermatozoa, and the result is fetal genetic mutation and, accordingly, a miscarriage or the birth of a sick child.

The father's smoking also affects future children in that it poisons the health of his partner, who becomes a passive smoker.

The impact of smoking on child development: active and passive smoking during pregnancy and after birth

If a woman smokes during pregnancy , this in 5 cases out of 100 leads to intrauterine death of the fetus, increases the risk of miscarriage, congenital pathologies and deformities, intrauterine growth retardation, premature birth and stillbirth. In the womb, the baby of a pregnant smoker literally suffocates from carbon monoxide, which is part of tobacco smoke. The result is intrauterine hypoxia, the consequences of which can be the most terrible. In addition, smoking during pregnancy will almost certainly cause a small baby to be born. On average, the weight of a newborn child of a smoking mother is 250 grams less than that of a non-smoking one.

Future dad smoking also detrimental to the fetus. Starting from the intrauterine period, we can talk about passive smoking and its effect on the child. A baby during pregnancy is completely defenseless, because he cannot withstand the effects of harmful substances from tobacco smoke. Yes, and a pregnant woman often becomes an involuntary passive smoker if one of the family members smokes at home. Secondhand smoke inhaled by a person during passive smoking contains most of the 4000 harmful components of tobacco smoke, 50 of which are carcinogens. Thus, all these toxic substances are transmitted to the child through the mother's blood - this is such a "gift" the baby receives from loving relatives even before birth.

A newborn living in a family of smokers has 3 times more high risk die from sudden infant death syndrome, compared to a normal baby.

If the risks of passive smoking have bypassed the child, he was born alive and seems to be quite healthy in the first months, you should not deceive yourself: the impact of hazardous substances on the body, especially such a small and defenseless one, never goes unnoticed. Sooner or later, the consequences of passive smoking will necessarily manifest themselves in the form of developmental delays, chronic diseases, and weak immunity of the baby.

Children and passive smoking are not just bad words, cigarette smoke poisons the child in a natural way. Poor health, moodiness, inability to concentrate, poor memory, lethargy and nervousness are the sad prospects that await children who grow up under a veil of smoke.

How does parental smoking affect a child?

Smoking in the presence of a child, unfortunately, is commonplace in our country. A dad who smokes right on the stroller or confidently lights a cigarette next to his own offspring does not surprise anyone. “It’s good that there is a dad at all,” women think. It’s hard to argue with this, but you don’t need to give up in the fight for the health of your child! The kid is absolutely not to blame for the fact that adults do not want to think with their heads.

According to statistical calculations, up to 30% of parents smoke calmly in the presence of their own child, in an apartment with closed windows. Do they know that passive smoking can slow down the development of a baby's lungs by 80%? ..

We will disappoint those who believe that smoking dad or mom is not such a big evil if you smoke in the stairwell, on the street or on the balcony: tobacco residue on clothes, body and hair of adults, household items, the remnants of smoke exhaled by a smoker affect children almost the same as on the smoker himself.

Passive smoking of a child leads to the development various diseases organs of the respiratory system : bronchitis, severe asthma, pneumonia, etc. Ammonia contained in tobacco smoke is dissolved by moist mucous membranes and turns into ammonia, which increases the secretion of mucus. The result is a wet cough.

In addition, children of smokers are more likely to:

1. allergies;
2. immune abnormalities;
3. infectious and viral diseases;
4. mental disorders;
5. risk of leukemia (blood cancer).

Studies on passive smoking in children showed disappointing results: for the youngest (under 3 years old), the probability of acquiring one or another respiratory disease increased by 56%, even if only the father smoked; by 95% - when the mother smokes during breastfeeding; in older children (7-14 years old) who were exposed to secondhand smoke, obvious signs of respiratory failure were noticed.

Why do children and teenagers smoke?

The topic of childhood smoking is inextricably linked with the prevalence of tobacco dependence in adults. After all, it is the parents who show the child an example of how to behave in life. As you know, a bad model of behavior is much brighter and more contagious. It doesn't matter if the family is prosperous - the children will equally copy everything you do. Did you know that 80% of teen smokers have at least one parent who smokes? Moreover, if dad smokes, the son will almost certainly smoke, and if mom, then the daughter ...

Even in non-smoking families, however, there is a risk that a teenager will take up a cigarette - the informational propaganda of smoking is too great. Add to this the desire to appear older, “cooler”, self-doubt, the precariousness of the psyche of a teenager ... The statistics are not surprising: among fifth-graders, 15% of boys and 1% of girls smoke, while 53% of boys and 28% of girls join the bad habit .

How can you protect your child from the effects of passive smoking?

Quitting smoking completely is the only sensible decision about cigarettes that loving parents should make. There can be no compromises here! Hugging and kissing the baby, even dad, who smokes exclusively on the street, “gives” him a whole cloud of poisons and carcinogens.

If you convince a smoker that he is killing his own baby, it does not seem real, at least ventilate the apartment more often! Buy an air purifier. Prohibit household members and guests from smoking at home.

Living in an apartment where a heavy smoker used to live, it is advisable to make repairs, since the walls, ceiling and floor in this case remain saturated with tobacco smoke.

On the street, walking with a baby, even non-smoking parents need to be careful. Avoid places where someone stands nearby and smokes, do not go into smoky rooms with your child.

If a child is exposed to secondhand smoke, you should ensure that their diet contains sufficient amounts of antioxidants, in particular vitamin C.

Awareness of the dangers of children's smoking, even passive, is the first step towards the health of the whole family. We wish all smokers to get rid of this habit, which has already claimed many lives, as soon as possible. Do not look at those around you who are smoking with might and main - think with your head! Health to your children!

Tobacco smoke contains almost the entire periodic table - there is phenol, hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, acetone, radioactive polonium, ammonia. From a smoked cigarette, up to 500 various substances harmful to the body enter the air, and up to 4000 chemical elements, 50 of which are carcinogenic. It is worth noting that the smoker himself absorbs only part of the harmful impurities.

Tobacco smoke is divided into two streams - one is drawn in by the smoker, the second is exhaled by the smoker. The first stream accounts for only 40% of the cigarette, while the second stream accounts for the remaining 60%. Thus, involuntary others suffer more from tobacco smoke than the smoker himself. Here are some unpleasant numbers. The scariest ingredients we all know about are nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide. So carbon monoxide in the second stream is 5 times more than in the first. But nicotine and tar are generally 50 times more!

If you stay in a smoky room for a long time, then after some 1.5-2 hours, the concentration of nicotine in the blood will be exceeded by 8 times. Of course, the concentration of the mass of other chemical impurities also increases.

Passive smoking, as well as active smoking, can lead to the development of a number of diseases associated with the respiratory system, the cardiovascular system, nervous system and others. In passive smokers, health problems occur delayed - symptoms may not appear for years.

Passive smoking child

Knowing the harm that passive smoking causes to the body of an adult, it is not difficult to guess what harm it does to a weak and vulnerable child's body.

The first stage of passive smoking is in the mother's stomach. causes serious damage to the health of the child, and in this case, the baby acts as an involuntary passive smoker. Smoking is especially dangerous early stage pregnancy, when the placenta that protects the baby has not yet formed. Chemical harmful impurities enter the fetus and affect the development of the baby's neural tube and his brain. Smoking at a later date seriously complicates the protective work of the placenta. Each puff creates a spasm of blood vessels, during which their lumen narrows sharply, and oxygen starvation occurs. This leads to . It happens that the placenta does not withstand the load, and some of its parts die off after such spasms and are not restored. After that, the placenta ceases to protect the baby, and harmful chemical impurities "get" to the central nervous system of the child. In women who smoke, the risk of premature birth is 33% (!) Higher than in non-smokers. In addition, children of smokers are often born with developmental disabilities, low weight, strabismus, nasopharyngeal defects, etc.

Unfortunately, the child will get no less harm if the expectant mother is a passive smoker.

The second stage of passive smoking is after birth. The development of the child continues after birth, but now he is already a full-fledged person, and the placenta does not protect him. Toddlers who are regularly in a smoky room often suffer from chronic respiratory diseases and allergic diseases. Together with tobacco smoke, ammonia enters the bronchi of the baby. Inside, it dissolves in the moisture of the mucous membranes and turns into ammonia. Ammonia begins to irritate the mucous membrane and increases the secretion of mucus, which leads to a "wet" cough.

According to statistics, 30% of parents (both fathers and mothers) smoke in the presence of a child. Moreover, they calmly do it indoors without ventilation. The development of the lungs in babies can be inhibited by passive smoking by 80% (!).

Also, do not forget that in addition to the respiratory tract, all organs, metabolism suffer, useful substances in the body are destroyed, mental and physical development is inhibited.

How to protect your baby from passive smoking?

Even if the parents do not smoke in the presence of the child, but go outside or onto the balcony, this does not mean that the child is not in danger. Harmful impurities settle on hair, skin, clothes, and when you take the baby in your arms, hug him, kiss him, he involuntarily inhales and absorbs these harmful substances.

If parents do not smoke at all, this also does not make the child's life safe. There are many dangers in public places. Try to avoid places where people who smoke are nearby. Do not take your child into a smoky room.

An apartment that a smoker used to live in can also be dangerous. It is best to make a major overhaul, since even the walls, floors and ceilings here are saturated with harmful impurities. Air purifiers do their job only half.

We need to realize that passive smoking in children is a very serious problem, and we should not treat it negligently just because smoking is a part of society today, and everyone thinks that there is nothing wrong with it.

Why is passive smoking dangerous? Many of us do not even think about the fact that being near a smoking person is harmful to health. Few people suspect that two streams of smoke are emitted during the combustion of tobacco. The main stream is formed when the smoker "tightens". It passes through the entire cigarette, enters the lungs and is exhaled in the form of an additional (second) stream. Unfortunately, few people know that it contains many times more harmful substances. In the course of research, it was found that in the additional stream the content of ammonia is 45 times higher, tar and nicotine - 50 times higher, carbon monoxide - 5 times higher. Passive smoking is the inhalation of all these compounds. Pregnant women and children are most sensitive to toxic and carcinogenic substances.

The harm of passive smoking is complex and, as it is not strange for many, it has an even more harmful effect on the health of the people around the smoker. Scientists have long proven the relationship between passive smoking and the development of diseases:

• respiratory tract;
• of cardio-vascular system;
• nervous system;
• urinary organs;
• bone apparatus.

According to one of the British medical journals, 5 years of living near a smoker can increase the likelihood of developing blindness by 2 times. Finnish doctor Markku Nurminen points out that toxic substances from exhaled tobacco smoke are a death sentence for those around him who are passive smokers with diseases coronary system hearts. According to the WHO, it was passive smoking that caused 200,000 deaths a year.

The danger of passive smoking also lies in the fact that it, like active smoking, increases the risk of developing cancer many times over.
According to Japanese health care, the risk of developing breast cancer is 2.6 times higher in women who are forced to inhale tobacco smoke and cannot avoid smoky rooms. Women who have not yet begun menopause are especially sensitive to tobacco smoke - this is due to the fact that a high concentration of sex hormones can participate in the formation of a tumor in the mammary gland.

Scientists have found that employees of entertainment establishments with cancer in 2.8% of cases have education cancerous tumor caused passive smoking.

All of the above examples suggest that the harm of passive smoking is obvious. Modern society and every potential passive smoker should think about how to protect themselves from the harmful effects of passive smoking.

Passive smoking and children

The body of a child is especially sensitive to passive smoking - and the younger he is, the more negatively tobacco smoke affects him. According to WHO, almost half of all children are doomed to suffer from adult smoking. Inhalation of tobacco smoke provokes:

• decreased immunity;
• bronchitis;
• pneumonia;
• bronchial asthma;
• otitis;
• neurobiological abnormalities;
• diseases of the cardiovascular system;
• the formation of cancerous tumors.

The impact of secondhand smoke on children can be immediate or it can take many years to show up.

German scientists have established a relationship between parental smoking and asthma in children. Development risk respiratory diseases in a family of smokers is doubled. In passive smoking children, the risk of inflammation of the middle ear increases by 1.4 times. Scientists have established a relationship between childhood oncological diseases of the blood, nasal cavity and passive inhalation of tobacco smoke.

It is hard to imagine that a mother or father can put a cigarette in the hand of their child, but few people know that smoking a pack of cigarettes in front of a child can be equated to 2-3 cigarettes that the child “smoked himself”. WHO urges all parents to remember that they have an obligation to protect and shield their children from passive smoking. The consequences of seemingly harmless inhalation of "mother's" and "dad's" smoke can be fatal for a child and lead to his disability!

Passive smoking and pregnancy

Passive smoking during pregnancy is no less harmful than active smoking.
Statistics indicate that about 80% of pregnant women become passive smokers. With passive inhalation of tobacco smoke, both the body of the expectant mother and the body of the fetus suffer.

Passive mothers-to-be smokers have a much higher risk of developing some pregnancy complications:

• spontaneous miscarriage - by 39%;
• the birth of a dead child - by 23%;
• congenital pathologies of the fetus - by 13%;
• placenta previa and massive bleeding during childbirth - by 90%;
• placental abruption - by 25%.

Any of these figures can make you think about the dangers of passive smoking for the body of a future mother.

A huge amount of mutagenic and carcinogenic substances pass through the placental barrier and harm all organs and systems of an unborn child.

Passive smoking of an expectant mother can lead to a serious illness of the unborn child before and after childbirth:

• sudden death baby
• the development of deformities and malformations (defects of the heart and other organs, cleft palate, cleft lip, etc.);
• respiratory diseases (bronchitis, pneumonia, bronchial asthma, etc.);
• delayed mental and physical development;
• increased risk of cancer;
• decrease in immunity.

The danger of passive smoking for the unborn child can be prevented by the pregnant woman herself and her environment. Knowing about the risks that tobacco smoke brings to an unborn baby, and quitting smoking in the presence of a future mother, can completely prevent trouble.