The Right to Breath With Ease

Second hand smoke is just as harmful and frequently more harmful to a defenseless small child. Over half of all children in the United States breathe in secondhand smoke; whether at home, in a car, or in public. This has caused more than three hundred thousand children to suffer from infections such as, bronchitis, pneumonia, and ear infections. Breathing in these toxic fumes can cause sudden infant death, asthma which can carry on with a child until adulthood, gum diseases, pneumonia, bronchitis and other lung problems. Another area for concern is breastfeeding an infant while smoking. Hopefully a mother would not sit and hold a baby while smoking, but even walking outside to smoke and then breastfeeding is dangerous. While the effects are smaller than secondhand smoke the mothers could still pass some nicotine and other chemicals to the baby while breastfeeding. It takes about ninety five minutes for the body to eliminate the nicotine, so feeding the baby prior to that could harm her. Smoking while lactating can lead to early weaning, low milk production, and blocked let down reflexes. A mother who does the “right thing” by smoking outside can still jeopardize the child. Residue or smoke stuck to her clothing can irritate the child’s eyes and nose and cause respiratory issues. Smoking has been linked to colic in an infant as well. Infants are twenty four percent more likely to develop colic than an infant not

In the United States one out of every four children between the ages of three and eleven, live with a smoker in their household. Imagine someone putting another person’s life in danger because of a decision they make. Think about the children who are not able to speak up for themselves when it is their own parents putting them in danger. When you place someone in a situation where they are unable to directly express how they feel, you may be creating a very perilous environment. Second hand smoke can be extremely dangerous. Second hand smoke is smoke that comes from any form of tobacco that is exhaled and later inhaled by another person nearby. Second hand smoke can put just about anyone’s life in danger.

Smokers are faced with many health problems with lung cancer and many other cancers been a big health risk due to what is in the cigarettes. Other health risks are coronary heart disease, heart attacks, stokes, respiratory problems such as chronic bronchitis, pneumonia and can worsen asthma.Secondhand smoke comes from the tip of a lit cigarette and is the smoke that the smoker breathes out. People who breathe in secondhand smoke are at risk of the same health conditions as smokers, particularly lung cancer and heart disease. Their quality of life is affected with smokers more at risk of cancers and heart diseases, also they would be more prone to getting sick and also having to clear their throat in the morning due to been caught up.

Secondhand smoke is a volatile air pollutant that poses health risks for anyone nearby. It places children at risk for developing issues like asthma, ear and respiratory infections, and even cancer, while increasing the more obvious risks of cancer, heart disease, and stroke for the smoker.

According to 2006 United States' Surgeon General report, secondhand smoke is a cause for premature death and disease in children and non-smokers. In addition, children exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome, ear problems, acute respiratory infections, and severe asthma. Smoking by parents causes respiratory symptoms and slows lung growth in their children and to adults the secondhand smoke has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and causes coronary heart disease and lung cancer. Finally, the Surgeon General report states, “the scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2006).“Third hand smoke is the name given to the toxic particles from cigarette smoke that settle onto surfaces in your home and remain long after smoking has ceased” (Heidtman, 2010), which means that even if a person smokes in the house when there is no one present the particles that state on the surfaces will still harm the health of the family that resides in the house. According to the Smoking-Related Fires in Residential Buildings (2008-2010) by the US Fire Administration,

It is now known that secondhand smoke (SHS) is more toxic than firsthand smoke (FHS), posing a serious health risk to children who have no control over whether they are exposed or not. Additionally, a new potential health risk has been discovered: thirdhand exposure (THE). Thirdhand exposure occurs when nicotine and other chemicals from secondhand smoke deposit on surfaces, such as floors, walls, and tables. THE exists wherever nicotine has been smoked, creating multiple exposure routes and exposing people via. touch, ingestion, and inhalation2. Evidence has emerged showing that THE potentially poses similar health risks as SHS, but the public is skeptical about these

Exposure to second hand smoke, also called involuntary smoking, occurs when non-smokers breathe in the cigarette smoke from others around them. Second hand smoke is harmful to both pregnant women and infants (NTP). Paternal smoking reduces birth weight by about 2 oz. (Berger 115). After birth, babies exposed to cigarette smoke may experience more colds, lung problems, and even ear infections.

Second hand smoke can be a problem at work, in public places, at home, and in the car (Winstanley & Ford, 2008). Second hand smoke is when non-smokers breathe in nicotine and toxic chemicals the same way smokers do (Winstanley & Ford, 2008). The more second hand smoke an individual breathes in, the higher the levels of these harmful chemicals that will start to build up in their body (Winstanley & Ford, 2008). Second hand smoke is known to increase the chances of a nonsmoking individual to a rate of about 20-30% more likely to develop lung cancer. Some evidence suggests that it might be linked in adults to cancers of the larynx, pharynx, nasal sinuses, brain, bladder, rectum, stomach, and breast (Winstanley & Ford, 2008). Second hand smoke can be harmful in many other ways as well, affecting the heart and blood vessels causing heart disease, and increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes in nonsmokers (Winstanley & Ford, 2008). Second hand smoke can also trigger asthma attacks, make asthma symptoms worse, and even cause new cases of asthma in kids who didn't have symptoms before (Winstanley & Ford,

A study done by the Berkeley lab team, found that the total integrated harm rises sharply in the first five hours after a cigarette has been smoked, and continues to rise for another five hours, and doesn’t start to level off until after 10 hours. Another study done by Hugo Destaillats called “Inhalable Constituents of Thirdhand Tobacco Smoke: Chemical Characterization and Health Impact Considerations,” stated that,“Many smokers know secondhand smoke is harmful, so they don’t smoke when their kids are present. But if, for example, they stop smoking at 2 p.m. and the kids come home at 4 p.m., our work shows that up to 60 percent of the harm from inhaling thirdhand smoke remains” (Chao). Dr. Manuela Martins-Green, a professor of cell biology at University of California-Riverside, found in a recent study that cigarette smoke toxins left on surfaces can affect asthma, liver functions, wound healing and attentiveness. In this study she placed mice in a normally ventilated habitat containing curtains and an upholstery that had been exposed to cigarette smoke to mimic human exposure to thirdhand smoke. After six months, researchers examined the mice and compared them to a control sample to determine if any ill health effects could be seen. “What we saw is that even with these small types of exposure, the lung already had a lot of inflammation and a lot of collagen deposition, which means fibrosis,” she said. “Fibrosis destroys

Smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in the world. Although this lifestyle practice usually warrants a person’s conscious choice to inhale toxic fumes, more than the sole individual are affected by this habit. Passive or involuntary smoking results when bystanders are collaterally forced to also breathe in a product containing at least 70 carcinogens and 7000 chemicals, as a consequence of another person’s smoking (American Cancer Society, 2015). Evidence suggests secondhand smoking (SHS) can lead to “lung, larynx, pharynx, nasal sinuses, brain, bladder, rectum, stomach, and breast cancers” in adults, even though they never smoked firsthand. Although the severity of health abnormalities and illnesses vary due to exposure, the gravity of the repercussions of SHS cannot remain disregarded. The American Cancer Society proposes that due to a child’s pivotal physical, mental, and emotional development, they are “most affected by SHS and least able to avoid it” (2015). In addition to the impediment of a child’s development, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is potentially linked to the development of “lymphoma, leukemia, liver cancer, brain tumors, asthma, infections, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)” (American Cancer Society, 2015). ETS is literally a grave dilemma plaguing nations.

It is dangerous for anyone to be exposed to secondhand smoke. Babies who are exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to develop ear infections, pneumonia and bronchitis. They are also more likely to suffer

Children are at greater risk of being exposed to secondhand smoke than adults (CDC, 2004)

Secondhand smoking causes many defects for children as they grow up. As parents of young children smoke in the car, these children are exposed to this secondhand smoke frequently. According to Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "Secondhand smoke causes numerous health problems in infants and children, including more frequent and severe asthma attacks, respiratory infections, ear infection, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)." As these children group up, the health problems resulting from the secondhand smoke exposure affects their lifestyle and future.

Quitting smoking may be the hardest thing to do. Some patients are aware smoking is bad for their own health, but may not know exactly what they could be doing to others around them. The second hand smoke, especially for a newborn, can be detrimental to health causing respiratory problems, ear infections, neuro-behavioral deficits, neuro-developmental deficits, cancer, and death (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2006). It is important to teach patients at any opportunity about the risks smoking.

According to the state of Michigan, secondhand smoke can trigger asthma attack, bronchial infections, and other severe health problems in nonsmokers.