Impact of passive smoke Essay

On analyzing the current situation related to smoking and passive smoke, it is worth mentioning the fact that today the problem of smoking persists. The negative impact of smoking on health of smokers is well-known but still people keep smoking enhancing the negative impact of smoking on their health, regardless of numerous warnings from the part of health care professionals. At the same time, today, specialists (Fox, Lash, Greenland, 2005) place emphasis on the fact that passive smoke is also extremely dangerous and, what is more, passive smoke is particularly dangerous for non-smokers.
In this regard, it is worth mentioning the fact that the passive smoking causes heart disease, respiratory illness and lung cancer (Passive Smoking, 2010). In fact, these are just a few diseases to mention, whereas the negative impact of passive smoke is much more significant. Passive smoking has long-run negative effects on the health of people, especially non-smokers because they are unprepared and unaccustomed to smoke and its negative impact on their health affects vitally important organs and systems of human body.
At this point, recent studies show that the negative impact and exposure of non-smokers to passive smoke is widely-spread and today the exposure of non-smokers to passive smoke is the international or global problem. The global health body said it was particularly concerned about the estimated 165,000 children who die of smoke-related respiratory infections, mostly in South East Asia and in Africa (Passive Smoking, 2010). Such a situation can be explained by the difference in the quality of life and standards of living in countries of the third world and well-developed countries, such as the US or the UK.
At the same time, children are at the particularly high risk of the negative impact of passive smoke on their health. Specialists argue that worldwide, as many as 40% of children, 33% of non-smoking men and 35% non-smoking women were exposed to second-hand smoke in 2004 (Passive Smoking, 2010). In such a way, almost a half of the global population of children is exposed to the impact of passive smoke. At this point, specialists place emphasis on the fact that exposure was estimated to have caused 379,000 deaths from heart disease, 165,000 from lower respiratory infections, 36,900 from asthma and 21,400 from lung cancer (Passive Smoking, 2010). In such a way, passive smoke is one of the major causes of deaths because it provokes extremely dangerous diseases, such as cardio-vascular diseases, asthma, lung cancer, and others.
Remarkably, the highest numbers of people exposed to second-hand smoke are in Europe and Asia and the lowest rates of exposure were in the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean and Africa (Passive Smoking, 2010). Such difference can be explained by the difference in traditions of smoking, availability of cigarettes to people, the price of cigarettes, the availability of cigarettes to minors and other factors. Obviously, the minimization of the negative impact of passive smoke is closely related to smoking traditions in the society. In such a situation, smoking should be limited to minimize the exposure of non-smokers to the negative impact of passive smoke.
At the same time, some researches prove the different impact of passive smoke on people depending on their gender. For instance, one of the recent researches also revealed that passive smoking had a large impact on women, killing about 281,000 worldwide (Passive Smoking, 2010). This is due to the fact that in many parts of the world, the study suggests, women are at least 50% more likely to be exposed to second-hand smoke than men (Passive Smoking, 2010). Therefore, women turn out to be in a disadvantageous position in terms of the exposure to passive smoking compared to men. In this regard, the difference between men and women may be explained by the difference in traditions of smoking for, as a rule, men are more inclined to smoking than women.
Furthermore, studies show that there is no safe level of exposure to second hand smoke, as even low levels of exposure are associated with adverse health effects (Shiva & Padyab, 2008). Physicians caring for children need to discuss the harmful effects of smoking and the importance of reducing childhood exposure to second hand smoke; parents should be educated and encouraged not to smoke; or if they are smokers, to quit (Shiva & Padyab, 2008). Hence, even the low level of exposure to the impact of passive smoke has a negative impact on the health of non-smokers. In such a situation, the prevention of the impact of passive smoke on non-smokers is essential.
In such a context, the family education and family traditions are very important in regard to the prevention of the negative impact of passive smoke on the health of non-smokers. Specialists recommend adopting the framework strategy of 5 A’s (ask, advise, assess, assist, and arrange) gives each parent the maximum chance of quitting (Shiva & Padyab, 2008). However, before implementing an effective course of action, the counselor needs background knowledge about socio-demographic patterns and smoking habits of parents, as well as their attitudes towards the dangers of tobacco smoke (Shiva & Padyab, 2008). This means that habits of parents are very important and often parents consciously or not expose their children to the negative impact of passive smoke. Parents should be conscious of the fact that passive smoke is extremely dangerous for their children. In such a way, children may suffer from passive smoke because of negative habits and smoking of their parents.
At this point, it is important to dwell upon the mechanism of the negative impact of passive smoke on the health of non-smokers. In this regard, it is worth mentioning the fact that passive smoke is dangerous because it exposes non-smokers to the impact of ETS. ETS is a human lung carcinogen, responsible for approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths annually in U.S. nonsmokers. ETS has been classified as a Group A carcinogen under EPA’s carcinogen assessment guidelines. This classification is reserved for those compounds or mixtures which have been shown to cause cancer in humans, based on studies in human populations (Pirie, 2008).
In fact, the ETS exposure increases the risk of lower respiratory tract infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia. EPA estimates that between 150,000 and 300,000 of these cases annually in infants and young children up to 18 months of age are attributable to exposure to ETS. Of these, between 7,500 and 15,000 will result in hospitalization (Morabia 2002). In such a way, passive smoke exposes non-smokers to the impact of ETS, which is extremely dangerous to human health and can lead to the development of numerous diseases, including lung cancer. The negative impact of passive smoke on non-smokers can lead to the development of diseases, which non-smokers would not develop if there was no exposure to passive smoke.
In this regard, specialists argue that the ETS exposure increases the prevalence of fluid in the middle ear, a sign of chronic middle ear disease (Pirie 2008). In such a way, passive smoke affects ears and can lead to the development of chronic middle ear disease, which is difficult to cure. This risk is particularly high if children are exposed to passive smoke. In addition, the ETS exposure in children irritates the upper respiratory tract and is associated with a small but significant reduction in lung function (Reynolds, 2004). As a result, children may develop numerous health problems associated with lung diseases and other illnesses. In fact, the ETS exposure increases the frequency of episodes and severity of symptoms in asthmatic children. The report estimates that 200,000 to 1,000,000 asthmatic children have their condition worsened by exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Morabia 2002). Also, specialists place emphasis on the fact that the ETS exposure is a risk factor for new cases of asthma in children who have not previously displayed symptoms (Morabia 2002).
In such a way, it is obvious that the exposure of non-smokers to the impact of passive smoke increases the risk of the development of dangerous diseases, including chronic diseases. Moreover, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that children are particularly vulnerable to the negative impact of passive smoke because their bodies are just in the process of formation. Their vital systems and organs are not fully developed and the impact of passive smoke on children increases the risk of the development of chronic diseases and other serious health problems consistently. In other words, children face higher risks of the development of negative effects of passive smoke on their health. Therefore, parents should be aware of such risks and threats.