Secondhand smoke is simply other people’s cigarette smoke and is also known as passive smoke. Secondhand smoke is found everywhere that people are smoking – at the pub, in restaurants, at bingo, at work and even at home. Secondhand smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals in the form of particles and gases, some of these chemicals are dangerous poisons. These toxic chemicals include: Hydrogen cyanide, ammonia, carbon monoxide and acrolein. Therefore, secondhand smoke is bad for health – it is known to cause cancer and other health problems.
Secondhand smoke can cause serious health problems, not just the immediate effects it can have on people, such as sore eyes, headaches, coughs and throat irritations. Breathing in secondhand smoke can increase smokers risk as follows:
Increase the risk of getting lung cancer by 24%
Increase the risk of getting Heart disease by 25%
It can also increase the risk of respiratory disease COPD and other cancers.
85% of secondhand smoke is invisible and odourless. It also stays in the air within an enclosed location, long after someone has been smoking.
Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 different chemicals, many of which are toxic and harmful to health. Secondhand smoke contains more than 50 known substances that cause cancer in humans, including benzo(a)pyrene, chromium, vinyl chloride and benzene.
Other harmful substances in secondhand smoke are: - Tar: which is known to cause cancer and lung damage
- Carbon monoxide: which is a toxic gas found in car exhaust fumes
- Benzene: which is found in petrol fumes and causes leukemia
- Ethanol: which is found in anti-freeze
- Formaldehyde: which is an embalming fluid
- Hydrogen cyanide: which is classed as an industrial pollutant
- Arsenic: which is effectively rat poison
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon: which is found in diesel exhaust
Health Benefits
As you can see from the table below, there are immediate benefits to your health after you have stopped smoking, not just the amount of money you will save. Time since quitting | Beneficial health changes that take place |
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20 minutes | Blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal. |
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8 hours | Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in blood reduce by half, oxygen levels return to normal. |
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24 hours | Carbon monoxide will be eliminated from the body. Lungs start to clear out mucus and other smoking debris. |
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48 hours | There is no nicotine left in the body. Ability to taste and smell is greatly improved. |
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72 hours | Breathing becomes easier. Bronchial tubes begin to relax and energy levels increase. |
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2-12 weeks | Circulation improves. |
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3-9 months | Coughs, wheezing and breathing problems improve as lung function is increased by up to 10%. |
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1 year | Risk of heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker. |
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10 years | Risk of lung cancer falls to half that of a smoker. |
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You may want to look at other options to improve your health, Lloydspharmacy have a selection of electrical health products that you may find helpful.
- Helps reduce withdrawal symptoms by providing enough nicotine (in a safe form) to reduce the urge to smoke.
- Compared to will power alone, NRT doubles success rates.
- Needs to be used for the recommended length of time to ensure that the smoker has reduced the dependence enough not to start smoking again. NRT products generally work as a step down process, over a period of at least 12 weeks.
- There are two ways to stop smoking using NRT and based on your individual smoking patterns:
Stop Now - some people prefer to try and make a clean break from smoking and this approach supports an immediate quit attempt. Cut Down and Quit - others find it difficult to stop smoking straight away. this programme works by reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke over a period of time, until you are able to stop completely. Ask our healthcare team in your local Lloydspharmacy for more details on how to become smoke free.
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