Health Effects of Second Hand Smoke Exposure Body

This article authored and submitted by J Alan Rodgers. You can learn more
about home air purification by visiting his site at www.home-air-purifier-guide.com

The health effects of second hand smoke are systemic, affecting every organ and tissue of the body. This is because the toxic compounds in second hand smoke can pass from the lungs into the bloodstream. Once in the bloodstream they are distributed to all parts of the body, extending beyond the lungs to affect all organs, tissues, and the nervous system. With over 50,000 research studies done over the last few decades on the effects of second hand smoke it would be impossible to review them all. However, a number of significant ones are referenced below to demonstrate the damaging health effects of second hand smoke. If you find yourself exposed to second hand smoke, whether in the home or at work, it is imperative that you take action to protect yourself and family. Use the information below to assess your own risk and that of the people around you. It's never too late to fight the effects of second hand smoke. Do whatever it takes to preserve your good health, it's the one thing you can never replace. Fetal growth impairment: Low and decreased birthweight. A study published in Environmental Health Perspectives, June 2002 examined the effects of second hand smoke exposure on birth weight, low birth weight, and intrauterine growth retardation. The study found that exposure reduced the birth weight of infants of nonsmoking mothers, contributed to additional reductions in birth weight among babies of smoking mothers, and increased the risk of low birth weight among babies born to nonsmoking mothers. The exposure of nonsmoking and smoking mothers to environmental tobacco smoke during different gestational phases and fetal growth. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Smoking increases the risk of SIDS. Exposure to nicotine can interfere with respiratory reflexes during sleep. Brief pauses in respiration known as apnea can occur during sleep, resulting in a lack of oxygen to the brain. Normally this sets off a gasping for breath and the infant will tend to rouse from sleep. But if this protective response is altered it can lead to respiratory failure. This protective response can be impaired by a continual exposure to nicotine transmitted in a smoking mother’s blood to the fetus during pregnancy. The result is a decrease in the efficiency of respiratory and arousal reflexes in response to sleep apneas, and thus an increase in the risk of sudden infant death. Altered arousal response in infants exposed to cigarette smoke published in Archives of Disease in Childhood, January 2003 examined the role of maternal smoking while pr egnant on the arousal mechanism of those infants after birth. The study found that at the age when the incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is at its peak, infants of smoking mothers are less rousable than those of non-smoking mothers in NREM sleep, which may partially explain why such infants are more at risk of SIDS. Also consider the study: Lung tissue concentrations of nicotine in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) which measured the levels of nicotine and cotinine in the lung tissue of children that died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and found that they "tended to have higher concentrations of nicotine in their lungs than control children, regardless of whether smoking was reported." Pre-term delivery / Miscarriage. A study from China examined the effects of second hand smoke on the risk of pregnancy loss in a population of women in China and found that heavy smoking increased the risk of early miscarriage through maternal and/or paternal exposure. The authors noted, "In this study, we cannot distinguish whether the observed effect of paternal smoking on early pregnancy loss was mediated through exposure of women to passive smoke from the husband and/or through direct smoking effects on the men’s sperm." Paternal smoking and pregnancy loss: a prospective study using a biomarker of pregnancy. Permanent fetal genetic mutations. The study Qualitatively and quantitatively similar effects of active and passive maternal tobacco smoke exposure on in uteromutagenesis at the HPRTlocus found that, even if a pregnant woman quits smoking herself, she remains likely to suffer from the effects of second hand smoke exposure, which is equally likely as active smoking to cause permanent genetic mutations in the fetus. Spinal Development Disruption in Childhood. Childhood exposure to smoke may increase risk of back pain in later life according to a report in the British Medical Journal, July 31, 2004. The BMJ reports that a study conducted in Norway and published in the European Journal of Public Health, has found that, "adults who were exposed to tobacco smoke as children were more likely to take long term sick leave because of spinal pain." Dental Cavities. A research report entitled, "Association of pediatric dental caries with passive smoking" in the Journal of the American Medical Association, March 12, 2003 and based on data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found a strong correlation between children exposed to second hand smoke at home and high incidence of dental cavities. Acute lower respiratory tract infections in children (e.g., bronchitis and pneumonia) Infants whose mothers smoke are 50 percent more likely to be hospitalized with a respiratory infection during their first year than infants of nonsmoking mothers; the study also finds that smoking mothers who do not smoke in the same room as their infant greatly reduce the risk of respiratory infection for their child. Parental smoking and infant respiratory infection: how important is not smoking in the same room with the baby? American Journal of Public Health, March 2003. Asthma induction and exacerbation in children and adults. Smoking during pregnancy by a child's mother or grandmother increased the risk of that child developing asthma. Maternal and grandmaternal smoking patterns are associated with early childhood asthma. CHEST, April 2005. Chronic middle ear infections in children. Research conducted to determine the effects of second hand smoke exposure on middle ear disease among pre-schoolers found that such exposure is an important risk factor for middle ear disease among urban preschool aged children. Environmental tobacco smoke and middle ear disease in pre-school age children. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, February 1998. Lung Cancer. A study to obtain precise and valid estimates of the risk of lung cancer in never smokers following exposure to second hand smoke, including adjustment for potential confounders and exposure misclassification, found clear dose-response relationships consistent with a causal association between exposure to second hand smoke from spousal, workplace and social sources and the development of lung cancer among never smokers. Secondhand smoke exposure in adulthood and risk of lung cancer among never smokers: a pooled analysis of two large studies. International Journal of Cancer, March 10, 2004. Nasal sinus cancer. The impact of cigarette smoking and environmental tobacco smoke on nasal and sinus disease: a review of the literature published in American Journal of Rhinology, November-December, 1999 examined existing literature to determine the effects of second hand smoke exposure on nasal and sinus disease, and found exposure increases the risk of nasal and sinus cancer, and may increase the risk of acute, chronic rhinitis. Breast cancer in younger, primarily pre-menopausal women. Long-term secondhand smoke exposure may increase premenopausal breast cancer risk. Accumulating evidence on passive and active smoking and breast cancer risk (p NA), International Journal of Cancer, published online May 31, 2005. Leukemia. Long-term effects of second hand smoke exposure include an increased risk for chronic lymphocytic leukemia. See the study Environmental tobacco smoke and risk of adult leukemia. Epidemiology, September 2005.

What can you do?

The best way to reduce the effects of second hand smoke is to eliminate smoking. But this is often easier said than done. It is difficult for the smoker to quit. For a nonsmoker to try and encourage another, perhaps a family member to quit is also not easy, especially if they do not seem willing.

Ways to reduce effects of secondhand smoke exposures

If you smoke, quit. Don't smoke at home or permit others to do so. Ask smokers to smoke outdoors. Don't allow smoking if children are present, particularly infants and toddlers. Do not allow baby-sitters or others who work in your home to smoke indoors. Find out about the smoking policies of day care centers, schools, and other caregivers. Until you can quit, smoke outside. Moving to another room or opening a window is not enough. Support local public smoking bans. If smoking indoors cannot be avoided, increase ventilation as much as possible. Open windows or use exhaust fans. A smoker’s air cleaner that includes HEPA particle filtration and a substantial activated carbon bed for gas and odor removal can be helpful. Remember that the volume of pollutants produced by smoking can overpower any method for reducing them. Their toxicity is so great that negative health effects of second hand smoke occur with even limited exposure. There is no safe exposure level except zero.

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