The hundreds of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and carcinogenic chemicals found in second hand smoke linger in your indoor air slowly, but surely, destroying healthy lung tissue.
Exposure to second hand smoke is usually referred to as passive smoking, and the effects of passive smoking are deadly. There are roughly 4000 chemicals found in cigarette smoke, and at 69 of these chemicals are recognized carcinogens. Second hand smoke is one of the most common indoor air pollutants and (according to the EPA) is tragically linked to over 3,000 lung cancer deaths in nonsmokers each year.
Just to name a few suspected carcinogens found in second hand smoke:
· Nickel
· 2-naphthylamine
· polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
· N-nitrosamines
· DDT (Pesticide)
· Dieldrin (Pesticide)
· Formaldehyde
· Lead
· Toluene
· Benzene
Additionally, second hand smoke accounts for 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections, like pneumonia and bronchitis, in children under the age of 3. Children who are exposed to second hand smoke are predisposed to:
· Decreased lung function
· Chronic ear infections
· Pneumonia
· Bronchitis
· Bronchiolitis
· Asthma
· Asthma attacks
· Decreased birth weight
· Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
Asthma affects over 10 million children aged 16 or younger, claims 250,000 lives each year, and 13 million school days. Today, asthma is one of the leading reasons for hospitalization, causing over 217,000 emergency visits each year. Asthma is the most common, chronic childhood disease and at least 4 million children suffer an asthma attack in a single year. Almost 90% of the time, parents are to blame for a child’s exposure to second hand smoke. Save your child from passive smoking.
Quitting is no easy feat, but second hand smoke has negative effects on your health, and the health of those around you.
1. Smoke outside (away from pathways into your home)
2. Refrain from smoking in the car
3. Remove any clothing you were wearing while smoking before contact with an infant or toddler.
4. Using body sprays and aerosols won’t help; they only add additional chemicals to the ambient air.
5. Leave an air purifier running on low. Make sure it is equipped with at least 24 pounds of activated carbon, medical-grade HEPA and a tar-trapping filter.
