Monday | 7 October 2024 | Reg No- 06
বাংলা
   
Monday | 7 October 2024 | Epaper

Second hand smoking: Unnoticed evil

Published : Sunday, 21 March, 2021 at 12:00 AM  Count : 878
ZUBAIR KHALED HUQ
Second-hand smoke is a mix of smoke from a burning cigarette, pipe or cigar, plus the smoke exhaled by the person smoking. This smoke is harmful to the health of both smokers and non-smokers, including children. There are ways to reduce the risks, such as by making your home smoke-free. Second-hand smoke is poisonous. It has over 4000 chemicals, including some that can cause cancer. There is no risk-free level of exposure to tobacco smoke. Smoke affects every organ in the body. Regular exposure to second-hand smoke can cause harm. The risk and severity of the harm depend on the length of exposure and amount of smoke you are exposed to.    

In the long term, people exposed to second-hand smoke have a greater risk of suffering from breathing problems. These problems are increased coughing, wheezing, pneumonia and asthma, heart disease, stroke, nasopharyngeal cancer, lung cancer. For some people, even low levels of exposure can cause problems. Almost immediately, physical reactions can occur that are linked to heart disease and stroke. These reactions include increased heart rate, less oxygen to the heart, and constricted blood vessels that increase blood pressure and make the heart work harder.  

Pregnant women exposed to second-hand smoke can have a greater risk of miscarriages, premature birth and babies with low birth weight. Based on recently discovered evidence, even brief and short-term exposures to second hand smoking (SHS) generates significant adverse effects on the human respiratory system. Future research directions in this area include the concentrations of tobacco smoke constituents in the alveolar milieu following SHS exposure, individual susceptibility to SHS, as well as pharmacological treatments for reversing the SHS-induced airway remodelling.     

Second-hand smoke is the combination of smoke from the burning end of a cigarette and the smoke breathed out by smokers. Second-hand smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals; of which hundreds are toxic and about 70 can cause cancer. There is no risk-free level of second-hand smoke exposure; even brief exposure can be harmful to health. People who do not smoke, but are exposed to second-hand smoke at home or work, experience 25-30 per cent increase in their risk of developing heart disease.     

More than 7, 300 people die from lung cancer among second hand smokers. Each year, more than 8,000 die from a stroke, attributed to second-hand smoke. Chronic diseases such as these are the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Ill health Effects on Infants and Children is huge. Infants exposed to second-hand smoke after birth have a significantly higher risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Chemicals in second-hand smoke appear to affect the brain in ways that interfere with its regulation of infants' breathing. Infants who die from SIDS have higher concentrations of nicotine in their lungs and higher levels of cotinine than infants who die from other causes.    
Exposure to second-hand smoke causes multiple health problems in infants and young children, including ear infections respiratory symptoms (coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath) acute lower respiratory infections, such as bronchitis and pneumonia. Children with asthma who encounter second-hand smoke have more severe and more frequent asthma attacks.      

There is no treatment for breathing in second-hand smoke. But there are ways to manage your exposure and treat conditions related to second-hand smoke inhalation. If you are regularly near second-hand smoke, you can reduce the danger by moving away from the smoker and finding a smoke-free place. Long-term effects from exposure to second-hand smoke include increased risk of coronary heart disease (risk increased by 25-30 per cent) lung cancer (risk increased by 20-30 per cent) and other cancers. Stroke (risk increased by 20-30 per cent. Any death due to second-hand smoke is avoidable.     

Bangladeshi children are clearly not benefiting from their country's smoking ban. The authorities need to do more, including properly enforcing the laws on smoking in public places. Only imposing a small fine is not going to stop smoking in public places. If a parent smokes and takes his child in his lap the baby is going to get exposed to second-hand smoking. The effect of second-hand smoking remains for a long.

Public awareness campaigns are also needed to raise awareness about the harms of second-hand smoke exposure in children. And NGOs should support a grassroots movement to change smoking norms in our community. If survey is conducted, findings will show a true reflection of the picture for the whole of Bangladesh. This level of exposure may well be contributing to the poor health and development of children in Bangladesh. Urgent action on multiple fronts is needed to address these serious public health issues.

After five minutes of exposure to SHS, arteries become less flexible, just like they do in a person who is smoking a cigarette. Breathing second-hand smoke interferes with the normal functioning of the heart, blood, and vascular systems in ways that increase the risk of having a heart attack. Even brief exposure to second-hand smoke can damage the lining of blood vessels and cause your blood platelets to become stickier. When you are around a person who is smoking, you inhale the same dangerous chemicals as he or she does.

Some of the diseases that second-hand smoke causes can kill you. To protect yourself do not breathe in second-hand smoke. As a result, experts highlight the need for improved education and more robust policies that demand zero tolerance for childhood exposure to second-hand smoke. Thousands of children are currently exposed to second-hand smoke, and unfortunately, parents and guardians who smoke are totally indifferent to the ill effect. They might be aware of the damage done by smoking to them. There is no doubt that exposure will have long-term effects on their health, unknowingly.   

With increased education and policy change, experts hope to eliminate childhood exposure to second-hand smoke and help protect this innocent and vulnerable population. Smoking is prohibited in the majority of indoor public places and workplaces, with a minor exception for restaurants with fewer than four walls. Certain public places may have outdoor designated smoking zones, but healthcare and educational facilities, among other public places, shall not have such zones. Concerning outdoor places, children's parks, fairs, and queues of passengers riding public vehicles are smoke-free.   

Parliament of Bangladesh passed the Tobacco Control Law Amendment Bill on 29 April 2013, closing many loopholes in the country's previous tobacco control law. The amendment is a major step forward in tobacco control in Bangladesh, where 43 per cent of adults use some form of tobacco. We should increase awareness to prevent and understand the detrimental effect of second-hand smoking, which is in a true sense worse than smoking itself.
Dr Zubair Khaled Huq,
Family Medicine, Gerontology,
Public Health Specialist





LATEST NEWS
MOST READ
Also read
Banning outdoor New Year parties
BAC in higher education in Bangladesh
It's time to end the bloodshed in Yemen
Plastic waste threatens environment and biodiversity
Fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory export control is an important guarantee for globalization
Rapists still having a field day in Bangladesh
Int’l cooperation with BRI
Olaf Scholz: Agenda of Germany’s new leader
Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Online: 41053014; Advertisement: 41053012.
E-mail: info©dailyobserverbd.com, news©dailyobserverbd.com, advertisement©dailyobserverbd.com, For Online Edition: mailobserverbd©gmail.com
🔝