Introduction
Passive smoking (PS) is the inhalation of other people’s tobacco smoke. Passive smoking is also commonly known as secondhand smoking, environmental tobacco smoke and involuntarily smoking (Park, 2005). He said that inhaling passive smoking is an unavoidable consequence of being in a smoke filled environment. Passive smoking is a mixture of air-diluted side stream smoke from the burning tip of a cigarette and the exhaled “mainstream” smoke exhaled by the smokers.
Furthermore, almost everyone frowned upon passive smoking in the society because it is the most addictive substance in the globe and constitutes a major health hazard to human. Passive smoking is the leading preventable cause of death. It is considered to be the most harmful form of tobacco used because passive smokers usually inhale it deeply and the health consequence do extend beyond imaginations.
Best (2009) opined that mainstream smoke inhaled by a smoker contains over 400 chemicals (both particles and gases) including chemicals, irritants and almost 70 carcinogens (cancer causing substance). Side stream is dangerous as whilst it has a similar composition to mainstream smoke the concentration of toxins and carcinogen are often much higher. Over 11, 000 people in the United Kingdom (UK) were estimated to have died as a result of passive smoking exposure in 2003, (SHS) passive smoking exposure is now widely recognized as a significant causes of both short term and long term harm to other with particular concern being raised for the health of the people.
He stated further that passive smoking can have adverse effect on children health even before birth, through material smoking and exposure to passive smoking whilst pregnant. Smoking in cars is particularly hazardous as level of passive smoking has been found to be dangerously high due to the enclosed spaces, even when the vehicle is well ventilated in the United Kingdom between 6.5% to 20% of children are reported to be exposed to passive smoking in cars and up to 35% of children whose parents are smokers. There is increasing public support of restrictions to be placed on smoking in vehicles.
In developing countries, according to him prevalence varies as a result of the following variables such as age, sex, educational background religion, upbringing and occupational state. 80% of people are globally reported to be exposed to passive smoking, at homes 29%, in cars is 34% in the United Kingdom and 44% in cases in Australia. Passive smoking is therefore a major health hazard to the health of millions of people(male, female, adult and children) in UK and in the World entirely.
It is advantageous to health educate people on the various hazards associated with passive smoking and also to encourage each and everyone to stay away from cigarette smokers.
Conceptual framework
According to the (2014) Surgeon General’s Report, secondhand smoke is also known as environment tobacco smoke (ETS). Passive smoking is a mixture of two forms of smoke that comes from burning tobacco (American Cancer Society.)
Dowshen (2014) asserts that, passive smoking comes from both the smoke that smokers float from the end of the cigarette, cigar or pipe called side stream smoke.
According to WHO (2008), passive smoking is a mixture and combination of exhaled mainstream smoke and side stream smoke released from a smoldering cigarettes or other smoking devices such as cigar, pipe and bid; are diluted with ambient air. Passive smoking is also referred to as environment tobacco smoke (ETS). Involuntarily smoking involves inhaling carcinogens and other toxic components that are present in secondhand tobacco smoke.
Johnson (2013), asserts that passive smoking is the inhalation of smoke called passive smoking or environment tobacco smoke (ETS) by persons other than the intended active smoker. It occurs when tobacco smoke permeates any environment causing its inhalation by people within this environment. Also exposure to passive smoking causes disease, disabilities and death. The health risk of passive smoking is a matter of scientific consensus. This risk have been a major motivation for smoke free laws in work places and indoors public places including restaurants, bars, casino and night clubs as well as some open public spaces.
According to Houghton (2010), passive smoking is a cigarette, cigar or pipe smoke that is inhaled unintentionally by non-smokers and maybe injurious to their health if inhaled regularly over a long period of time. According to Mifflin (2002), passive smoking is also known as environment tobacco smoke that is inhaled involuntarily or passively by someone who is not classified as mainstream smoker.
Winickoff (2011), asserts that passive smoking is a smoke from a cigarette, cigar or pipe that is involuntarily inhaled especially by non-smokers, which is once considered as a mere-nuisances that has proved to be far more harmful.
An overview of passive smoking
Passive smoking is the combination of smoke from the burning end of a cigarette and the smoke breathed out by smokers. Passive smoking do contains more than 700 chemicals, whereby hundred are toxic and 70 can causes cancer with additional toxicants being manufactured during the smoking process by chemical reactions occurring in the glowing tip of the cigarettes. Some of the agents include acetamid, acrotein, acryl nitrite, ammonia, aniline, arsenic, benzene, thracine, butadiene, calmium, carbon-disulfide, carbon-monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, lead, nickel, nicotine, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and toluene including host of other (Martin, 2009).
According to WHO (2010), passive smoking has been recognized as the single leading preventable cause of death in the world for a long-term and the risks attributed diseases increase as passive smoking begins. In 2014, surgeon general reported that 2.5 million adults who were non-smokers, died because they breathed in passive smoke. There is on risk free level of exposure to passive smoking which also causes numerous health problems in infants and children including more frequent and severe cases such as asthma and wheezing attack, respiratory tract infections, ear infections invasion of meningococcal disease and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Also, some of the health conditions caused by passive smoking in adult includes coronary heart diseases, stroke and lung cancers.
Anthoniak (2012) any exposure to tobacco smoke is harmful health. The findings on passive smoking and disease have been the foundations of the drive for smoke free indoor environment for educating parents concerning the consequence of their smoking on their children health. As bans are well implemented for an increasing body of evidence documents, reductions of exposures and benefit for cardiovascular and respiratory health.
A report by the Institution of Medicine(IOM)(2012), confirmed that passive smoking is a cause of heart disease leading to heart attack and concluded that relatively brief exposure could trigger a heart attack. IOM states that passive smoking causes approximately 3,400 deaths from lung cancer and 22,700 to 69,600 deaths from heart disease each year.
Soliman (2010), asserts that a systematic review of the guide to community preventative services acknowledged a strong evidence for the effectiveness of smokers free policies and restrictions in reducing exposure to passive smoking. A follow up to his review identified the evidence on which the effectiveness of bans reduced prevalence of tobacco use. Articles do published until 2008, were examined and studied provided sufficient evidence that smoke free policies reduces tobacco use among individuals when implemented to the community or country.
A report from the California Environment Protection Agency (2012)concluded that, the evidence regarding passive smoking and breast cancer is consistent with a casual association in younger women. This means that, passive smoking acts as if it could be a cause of breast cancer in these women. The Surgeon General Reports (2014) stated that there is a “suggestive but not sufficient” evidence of a link at this point. In any case, this possible link to breast cancer is yet another reason to avoid smokers for not been a passive smoker.
Sources of passive smoking at work
The workplace is a major source of passive smoking exposure for many adult. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the federal agency is responsible for health and safety at workplace is also concerned about passive smoking as a possible carcinogen at work. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and (OSHA) recognized that there are no safe level of passive smoking the duo do recommend that exposure could be reduced to the lowest possible levels. Among adult, non-smokers, passive smoking in the workplace has been linked to an increased risk of heart diseases and lung cancer.
The American Cancer Society (2014) has said that, smoke free workplace policies are the only way to prevent passive smoking exposures at work. Also, separating smokers from non-smokers, cleaning the air and ventilating the building cannot prevent exposure if people still smoke inside the building. An extra bonus, other than protecting non-smokers, is that workplace smoking restrictions may also encourage smokers to smoke less or even quit.
In public place
Richardson (2011) asserts that smoking in public place can cause passive smoking everyone can be exposed to passive smoking in public place such as restaurants shopping centres, public transportations, parks, schools, clubs, casino and day-care centres. The surgeon general has suggested that people choose restaurants and other business that are smoke free and let, owners of business that are not smoke free know that passive smoking is harmful to one’s family health in public places where children go and are special area of concern. Make sure that children day-care centre or schools are smokers free.
Smoking at homes
Making your home smoke free maybe one of the most important things you can do for the health of the family. Any family members can develop health problems related to passive smoking. Children growing bodies are especially sensitive to the toxins in passive smoking. Asthma, lung infection and ear infection are more common in children who are around smokers. Some of these problems can become serious even life threatening others may seem like small problems, but they can add up quickly the time for doctor visits, medicines, lost school time and often lost work time for the parents who must stay home with a sick child, are all costs that can impact a family. Think about it, we do spend more time at home than anywhere else. A smoke free home protects the family, guests and even a pet (American Cancers Society, 2014).
Smoking in cars
Americans do spend a great deal of time in cars and if someone smokes there, the toxins can build-up quickly again, this can be especially harmful to children. In response to this fact, the US Environment Protection Agency, has been working to encourage people to make their cars as well as their homes smoke free. Some states and cities even have laws that ban smoking in the car if carrying passengers, under a certain age or weight and many facilities such as city building, malls, schools, and hospitals do ban smoking on their grounds including their parking lots (Hassarien, 2012).
Consequences of secondhand smoke
The Department of Health and Service (2012) data in Australia indicates that about 12 per cent of women smoke during pregnancy. Both smoking and passive smoking can seriously affect the developing foetus. Health risks for mothers who smoke during pregnancy increases risk of:
- Miscarriage and still birth
- Premature birth and low birth weight
- Sudden unexpected death in infant (SUDI), which includes sudden infants death syndrome (SIDS) and fatal sleep accidents.
- Complications during birth as a result of passive smoking (US Department of Health and Services, 2012).
A child who lives in a smoking household for the first 18 months of their life has an increased risk of developing a range of respiratory illness, including bronchitis and pneumonia. They are also more prone to getting colds, cough and glue ear (middle ear infections). Their lungs show a reduced ability to function, and slower growth due to passive smoking, (Carrington, 2010).
A child exposed to passive smoking in the home is likely to develop asthma symptoms, phlegm, wheezing, breathlessness and invasion meningococcal disease (US Department of Health Services, 2012). People who have never smoked who live with people who do smoke are at increased risk of a range of tobacco related disease and other health risk including passive smoking increase the risk of heart diseases, there is consistent evidence by (Becquemin, 2009), US department of Health and services that people who do not smoke but live in a smoking household, have higher risk of coronary heart disease than those who do not.
Passive smoking also makes the blood more sticky and likely to clot, thereby leading to increased risk of various health conditions heart attack and stroke, (Becquemin, 2009). Also, due to long-term exposure to passive smoking may lead to the development of atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries), nasal sinus cancers, throat cancer, long and short term respiratory symptoms, loss of lung function, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and increased risk of tumours and cancers shown in birds, cats and dogs as well as among people who do not smoke (US Department of Health and Services, 2012).
Remedies/solutions to passive smoking
As a matter of fact, there should be regular health talks among children and adults on the dangers associated with passive smoking which could be achieved through the distributions of posters, handouts, magazines, newspaper, and pamphlets as well. Also, there should be health care professionals (health educators) who are trained on counselling jobs to counsel passive smokers on cessations programmes to the people on the need to achieved passive smoking control measures tobacco smoking decree of 1990 was promulgated by the federal ministry of health. The Nigerian government decree makes provision for advertisement that is liable to encourage tobacco passive smoking, sorry to say, the elite who would have enacts law and enforces the law banning tobacco in the country from smoking are themselves breakers of the law.
In order to protect non-smokers, passive smoking was banned in 1990 in health facilities, schools at homes in vehicles, workplaces, private companies in Lagos and other state which have implemented passive smoking free workplace policies. Moreover, the comprehensive appreciation to reducing prevalence and consequences of passive smoking is as follows:
- Parents and families interventions should be fully encourage.
- Empower community/town through educational programs.
- Planning a ban on cigarettes smoking advertisements on the radio, television, magazines, newspapers as well as entertainment industries.
- Community, local government and state government should intervene on the war against cigarette tobacco smoking.
- Whenever at home or on the ago, there are steps you can take to prevent passive smoking these includes:
- Asking people not to smoke in your homes or car.
- Making sure people looking after your children e.g Nannies, babysitters, day-care operators do not smoke.
- Choosing smoke free restaurants.
- Avoiding indoor and public places that allow smoking
- Teaching the children to stay away from passive smoking
- Whenever possible ask visitors in your homes to smoke outside and to use a smoking coat or sweatshirt as prescribed by National Institute of Health (2015). That they will not carry toxins on their clothes (that is actually known as third hand smoke.)
- Avoidance of ashtrays in home.
- Try to socialize outside whenever possible if visiting a smoker’s home with your children.
- Also, stay informed about any chance in federal state and local smoking laws and become involved in strengthening those laws.
References
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Donatella, R.J. (2013).Health, the basics (10th ed.), New York: Indiana Publishers.
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Johnson, B. (2013). Behavioural toxicology, environmental and occupational medicine, Boston: Little Brown.
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WHO (2010). Passive smoking as preventable cause of death.