| The health hazards of exposure to secondhand | | | | occur because of lung disease in non-smokers caused |
| smoke are well recognized by experts in the | | | | by passive smoking.o Exposure to passive smoke |
| healthcare field. Secondhand smoke is that | | | | increases non-smokers' risk of developing lung cancer |
| environmental tobacco smoke resulting from burning | | | | by between 20% and 30% and their risk of developing |
| tobacco. There are two forms of secondhand smoke, | | | | heart disease by 25% to 30%.o Exposure to passive |
| mainstream smoke and side stream smoke. | | | | smoke results in the development of respiratory |
| Mainstream smoke is that which is exhaled by a | | | | conditions such as pneumonia and bronchitis in |
| smoker. Side stream smoke is the smoke which | | | | between 150,000 and 300,000 children under the age |
| streams directly from the burning tobacco product. | | | | of 18 months, of which between 7,500 and 15,000 |
| Either form unfortunately is harmful to innocent | | | | require hospitalization.o More than 40% of children who |
| individuals who involuntarily engage in passive smoking | | | | require visits to emergency rooms for severe asthma |
| as a result of it the tobacco pollution caused by the | | | | attacks live in homes where smoking occurs. |
| willful smoker. | | | | Given these alarming facts and statistics about the |
| If it were not bad enough that nicotine which is a | | | | harmful effects of exposure to secondhand smoke, it |
| powerfully addictive substance with harmful health | | | | is important to determine your degree of exposure if |
| effects is present in secondhand smoke, tobacco also | | | | you are a non-smoker in a home where someone |
| produces more than 4000 chemicals of which 250 are | | | | smokes or if you are possibly exposed to passive |
| toxic. Worse yet, 50 of the chemicals in secondhand | | | | smoke in the workplace. |
| smoke are felt to be carcinogenic or cancer-causing. | | | | Thanks to an instant result quantitative nicotine test kit |
| Some of those carcinogenic chemicals are as | | | | that can be used in the home, it is now possible to |
| follows:o Benzene -- A component of gasolineo | | | | determine not only if you are exposed to secondhand |
| Formaldehyde -- A chemical used for embalming | | | | smoke, but also your degree of exposure. There is |
| corpseso Hydrogen cyanide -- A highly poisonous gas | | | | also a quantitative test kit designed for professional |
| used in chemical weaponso Carbon monoxide - An | | | | use. Each kit comes in two types. One requires the |
| important gas comprising automobile exhaust | | | | use of a urine specimen for testing. The other uses |
| The Surgeon General issued a report in 2006 | | | | saliva. |
| concluding that secondhand tobacco smoke can kill | | | | By determining your level of environmental tobacco |
| and that there is no safe amount of secondhand | | | | exposure you can then act accordingly to address |
| smoke. The report also concluded that the greater the | | | | one of life's serious health hazards. |
| degree of secondhand smoke exposure the greater | | | | Disclaimer: This article is for informational purpose only |
| the health risks. | | | | and is not intended to be a substitute for medical |
| Some alarming statistics relating to secondhand or | | | | consultation with a qualified professional. The author |
| passive smoke exposure are as follows:o In the United | | | | encourages Internet users to be careful when using |
| States alone 126 million people who don't smoke are | | | | medical information obtained from the Internet and to |
| exposed to passive smoke at home and/or at work.o | | | | consult your doctor before make decisions that can |
| In the United States 50,000 people per year die | | | | affect your health or if you are unsure about your |
| because of secondhand smoke exposure.o In the | | | | medical condition. |
| United States approximately 3000 deaths per year | | | | |