Secondhand smoking, or passive smoking, is the inhalation of smoke that is present in the environment. If you are a nonsmoker, you are most likely to be secondhand smoking if you are around smokers most of the time. But did you know that being exposed to smoke also poses a lot of harm? Yes, you are also in harm’s way even if you don’t smoke.Tobacco products have many cancer-causing substances which has made smoking a major risk factor in cancer. Secondhand smokers are at an increased risk of developing lung cancer by 20 to 30%. An estimate of 3,400 deaths resulted from lung cancer in nonsmokers.

Substances in tobacco products cause narrowing of blood vessels. This increases the likelihood of a blockage which results to a heart attack. Secondhand smokers are at an increased risk of developing heart disease by 25 to 30%.

In adults 50 years old and above, secondhand smoking increases the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia.

A pregnant woman who smokes also causes harm to her baby. Aside from causing miscarriages and premature birth, it also increases the risk of giving birth to infants who are low birth weight and small for gestational age. And secondhand smoking has shown to affect a child’s development. Secondhand smoking has also been linked to sudden infant death syndrome, resulting in 430 infant deaths every year.

In children, secondhand smoking causes asthma, ear infections, lung infections, bronchiolitis, allergies, learning difficulties, developmental delays, and neurobehavioral problems.
Secondhand smoking, like active smoking, also increases the overall risk of death. It is estimated to kill 53,000 nonsmokers per year! If you thought that not smoking doesn’t put you at risk, think again! Secondhand smoking is just as harmful as active smoking. If you have friends or family members who smoke, now is the time to convince them to quit. Help them quit now before it is too late for both of you!

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