Douse My Fire

EVER since Western newspapers headlined a recent study linking second-hand smoke and breast cancer, the smokers’ lobby’s been push...

EVER since Western newspapers headlined a recent study linking second-hand smoke and breast cancer, the smokers’ lobby’s been pushed further into its corner—and possibly lost all female sympathy. It’s the latest in a series of studies that link smoking to coronary disease, respiratory complications and several cancers, but the first to up the risk exclusively for non-smoking women.

What does second-hand smoke mean?
Simply, smoke that one inhales from someone else’s cigarette. The dangers of passive smoking are well-documented, with certain cancers and heart disease identified as significant risks. Passive smoking is estimated to cause 1,000 adult deaths each year, as well as asthma, lung infection and middle-ear disease in children.

Cancers
Tobacco smoke contains more than 400 chemicals, 60-odd of them are known or suspected to be carcinogenic. While no figures are available for India, Cancer Research UK says passive smokers are 20 to 30 per cent more likely to develop lung cancer than people not exposed to cigarette smoke.

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The recent Californian Air Resources Board study says women exposed to second-hand smoke are 90 per cent more at risk for developing breast cancer.

Coronary Heart Disease
Smoking—active or passive—hinders the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. ‘‘This leads to lipid deposition in the arteries, and increase in the heart rate, consequently stressing the organ. It can ultimately lead to heart disease,’’ says

Dr Anoop Misra, professor, department of medicine, AIIMS. ‘‘If smokers have a 5 to 6 per cent risk of heart disease, the risk is at least 2 to 3 per cent for a passive smoker.’’


	No fire, no smoke • WHILE quitting cigarettes is the best thing a smoker could do for his/her health, the very least is to smoke in the open, but beyond the proximity of babies and children. • In public spaces, such as restaurants, sit in non-smoking areas. At work, demarcate some spaces as non-smoking.

Asthma
Apart from triggering asthma attacks in adults, passive smoking increases the risk of pneumonia and bronchitis in children. It also obstructs lung growth and development, both causing and worsening asthma.

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During pregnancy
Second-hand smoke, inhaled during pregnancy, can trigger miscarriages and premature births, and is very harmful for newborns and toddlers, possibly causing cot deaths, asthma and other respiratory problems.

The other side…
While it is true that few of the connections between smoking and various diseases have been conclusively proved, ‘‘You still have to consider all the studies, which show the harmful effects of smoking,’’ says Dr Misra.