The Effects of Secondhand Smoke

Melissa TobiasAlvernia University

Writing in Healthcare Science

Secondhand smoke:

A mixture of gases and fine particles which consists of:

◦Smoke from a burning cigarette, cigar, or pipe tip

◦Smoke that has been exhaled or breathed out by the person or people smoking

◦More than 7,000 chemicals, including hundreds that are toxic and about 70 that can cause cancer.

General Information surrounding secondhand smoke:The scientific evidence shows there’s NO

SAFE LEVEL of exposure to secondhand smoke. Any exposure is harmful.

People who smoke are up to six (6) times more likely than nonsmokers to suffer a heart attack.

Breathing secondhand smoke interferes with the normal functioning of the heart, blood, and vascular systems in ways that increase the risk of having a heart attack.

Smoking by women during pregnancy increases the riskfor SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).Smoking during pregnancy causes low birth-weight in at least 1 in 5 infants.Nicotine and carbon monoxide decrease

availability of oxygen for the fetus, resulting in low fetal tissue oxygenation.

Of the women who are able to stop smoking during pregnancy, half are smoking again 6 months after delivery.

Effects of secondhand smoke on unborn children:

Effects of secondhand smoke on children:Infants who are exposed to

secondhand smoke after birth are also at a greater risk of SIDS.

It’s estimated that about 1 out of every 4 children ages 3 to 11 in the United States lives with at least one smoker.

More than 40 % of children who go to the emergency room for asthma live with smokers.

Every year, an estimated 150,000 to 300,000 children under 18 months of age get pneumonia or bronchitis from breathing second hand tobacco smoke.

Continuation of effects of secondhand smoke on children: Previous research has shown that exposure to

secondhand smoke increases the likelihood that children become teenage smokers and makes it more difficult for adult smokers to quit.

Studies show that older childrenwhose parents smoke get sick moreoften. Their lungs grow less than children who do not breathe secondhand smoke, and they get more bronchitis and pneumonia. In children under 18 years of age, secondhand smoke exposure also results in more coughing and wheezing, a small but significant decrease in lungfunction, and an increase in fluid in the middle ear.

How are our lungs affected:

Airways narrow almost immediately, reducing the amount of oxygen the body takes in.

Effects are worse for children since their breathing is faster and their lungs are less developed.

Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their lung cancer risk by 20-30%.

Continuation on how our lungs are affected:After just a few minutes of exposure,

peopleshowed near immediate physiological changes that caused their airways to narrow, making it more difficult for the body to take in the oxygen it needs.Secondhand smoke can impair breathing within 20 minutes.

The effects of secondhand smoke on adults:EPA estimates that approximately 3,000

American nonsmokers die each year from lung cancer caused by secondhand smoke.

Of the 3,000 deaths, 800 are estimated to be from exposure to secondhand smoke at home and 2,200 from exposure in work or social situations.

Secondhand smoke harms the heart, blood vessels, and blood circulation right away. Over time it can cause heart disease, strokes, and heart attacks.

How are our brains affected:Secondhand smoke has a direct measurable impact on the brain similar to what’s seen in the person doing the smoking.

Even limited secondhand smoke exposure delivers enough nicotine to the brain to alter its function.

Further brain study:Upper brain image shows the tracermolecules binding to the empty nicotine receptors, showing red and yellow. The lower brain image shows the brain after exposure for one(1) hour to secondhand smoke. Nicotine replacesthe tracer molecules leading to lower yellow and red activity.The researchers found that 1 in 5 nAChRs

receptors in the brains of both smokers and nonsmokers became occupied by nicotine after 1 hour of exposure to secondhand smoke.

Secondhand smoke exposure decrease:When a nonsmoker breathes in secondhand

smoke, the body begins to metabolize or break down the nicotine that was in the smoke. During this process, a nicotine byproduct called cotinine is created. To test secondhand smoke, the cotinine can be measured in saliva, urine, or blood◦1988-1991: approximately 87.9% of nonsmokers

had measurable levels of cotinine◦1999-2000: approximately 52.5% of nonsmokers

had measurable level of cotinine◦2007-2008: approximately 40.1% of nonsmokers

had measurable levels of cotinine.

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death:Tobacco use causes more than 5 million deaths

per year, and current trends show that tobacco use will cause more than 8 million deaths annually by 2030.

Cigarette smoking is responsible for about one in five deaths annually (more than440,000 deaths per year, and an estimated 49,000 of these smoke related deaths are from secondhand smoke exposure).On average, smokers die 10 years earlier than nonsmokers.

State spending on tobacco control:States have billions of dollars available to them

for preventing and controlling tobacco use. States currently use a very small percentage of these funds for tobacco control programs.

In 2013, states will collect $25.7 billion from tobacco taxes and legal settlements, but will spend only 1.8% of the $25.7 billion on prevention and cessation programs.

Investing in less than 15% (about 3.7 billion) of the $25.7 billion would fund every state tobacco control program at CDC-recommended levels.

Currently, states do not meet the CDC recommended levels.

Trivia Time:

In children aged 18 months or younger, secondhand smoke exposure is responsible for… how many cases of bronchitis and pneumonia annually?

25,000-50,00080,000-120,000150,000-300,000

Answer: 150,00-300,000

Trivia Time:

In children aged 18 months or younger, secondhand smoke exposure is responsible for… how many hospitalizations annually in the United States?

4,000-7,0007,500-15,00016,000-19,000

Answer: 7,500-15,000

Trivia Time:

Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their heart disease risk by how much?

15-20%25-30%40-45%

Answer: 25-30%

Trivia Time:

For every person who dies from a smoking related disease, how many more people will suffer with at least one serious illness from smoking?

203451

Answer: 20

Trivia Time:

Each DAY, how many people younger than 18 years of age smoke their first cigarette?

2,0003,0004,000

Answer: 4,000

Trivia Time:

Each DAY, how many people younger than 18 years of age become new daily cigarette smokers?

1,0002,0003,000

Answer: 1,000

Trivia Time:

Approximately what percentage of smokers want to quit completely?

35%54%69%

Answer: 69%

Trivia Time:

Approximately what percentage of smokers attempted to quit in 2010?

34%52%60%

Answer: 52%

References: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Health Effects

of Secondhand Smoke. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/health_effects

How secondhand smoke affects the brain. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.nih.gov/researchmatters/may2011/05162011smoke.htm

Khader, Y., Al-Akour, N., AlZubi, I., & Lataifeh, I. (2011). The association between secondhand smoke and low birth weight and preterm delivery. Maternal & Child Health Journal, 15(4), 453-459. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10995-010-0599-2

Setting the Record Straight: Secondhand Smoke is a Preventable Health Risk. (2011). Retrieved from http:www.epa.gov/smokefre/pubs/strsfs.html

Smoking can affect your baby’s health. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/tobaccocancer/womenandsmoking/women-and-smoking-health-of-others