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Breathing other people's smoke is called passive, involuntary or
second-hand smoking. The non-smoker breathes "sidestream" smoke
from the burning tip of the cigarette and "mainstream" smoke that
has been inhaled and then exhaled by the smoker. Second-hand smoke
(SHS) is a major source of indoor air pollution. Tobacco smoke
contains over 4000 chemicals in the form of particles and gases.
Many potentially toxic gases are present in higher concentrations
in sidestream smoke than in mainstream smoke and nearly 85% of the
smoke in a room results from sidestream smoke. The particulate
phase includes tar (itself composed of many chemicals), nicotine,
benzene and benzo(a)pyrene. The gas phase includes carbon monoxide,
ammonia, dimethylnitrosamine, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide and
acrolein. Some of these have marked irritant properties and some 60
are known or suspected carcinogens (cancer causing substances). The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the USA has classified
environmental tobacco smoke as a class A (known human) carcinogen
along with asbestos, arsenic, benzene and radon gas. How does this
affect the passive smoker? Some of the immediate effects of passive
smoking include eye irritation, headache, cough, sore throat,
dizziness and nausea. Adults with asthma can experience a
significant decline in lung function when exposed, while new cases
of asthma may be induced in children whose parents smoke. Short
term exposure to tobacco smoke also has a measurable effect on the
heart in non-smokers. Just 30 minutes exposure is enough to reduce
coronary blood flow. In the longer term, passive smokers suffer an
increased risk of a range of smoking-related diseases. Non-smokers
who are exposed to passive smoking in the home, have a 25 per cent
increased risk of heart disease and lung cancer.
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