Who will save us from secondhand smoke?

While walking down a street in Ikeja, a young man smoking walked past me. Unfortunately, I didn't see him on time and I had inhaled deeply the tobacco smoke which announced his presence. I choked, coughed and was left belching even after he was gone. I was enraged but helpless at the same time. I shuddered and wondered what persons with lungs related challenges like asthma go through moving around public places.

Yes, everyone has a right to do whatever they want, but it must not be to the detriment of others. I understand there is a Tobacco Control Bill which prohibits persons to engage in tobacco smoking in public places like Cinema, Stadium, Offices, Medical Establishment, Schools and public transportation. This bill which took more than two years before lawmakers finally approved it had been awaiting ratification by the federal government  since March 2011.

 

The dangers of Secondhand Smoke

Secondhand smoke is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette and the smoke exhaled by smokers.The smoke that burns off the end of a cigarette or cigar actually contains more harmful substances than the smoke inhaled by the smoker, as there is no filter it must pass through.

If you are a non-smoker but are exposed to secondhand smoke on a regular basis, your body will still absorb nicotine and other harmful substances.

Smoke contains more than 4000 chemical compounds, of which 250 are toxic and more than 50 are known cancer-causing agents. These dangerous substances linger in the air for approximately 4 hours and breathing in these particles for only minutes can harm you.


A few of the chemicals that float into your lungs when you are exposed to secondhand smoke are:

• Hydrogen cyanide -- a highly poisonous gas used in chemical weapons and pest control
• Benzene -- a component of gasoline
• Formaldehyde -- a chemical used to embalm corpses
• Carbon monoxide -- a poisonous gas found in car exhaust
• Vinyl chloride
•  Cadmium
•  Arsenic
•  Ethylene oxide

 

How does secondhand smoke affect non-smokers?

Exposure Time to Secondhand Smoke and Effects:

• 5 minutes – stiffens the aorta as much as smoking a cigarette
• 20-30 minutes – causes excess blood clotting, as well as increases the build up of fat deposits in blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke
• 2 hours – increases the chance of irregular heart beat (arrhythmia) and can trigger a fatal cardiac event or heart attack.

In addition, the longer you are around secondhand smoke, the greater the level of harmful substances in your body.

Lung cancer and secondhand smoke
Passive smoking is an established risk factor for the development of lung cancer. Coughing, chest congestion, and decreased lung function can also occur in those exposed to passive smoke..

Cardiovascular disease and secondhand smoke

Like cigarette smoking itself, secondhand smoke is a significant risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease and heart attack.

Secondhand smoke and other effects on children
In addition to the risk of pneumonia and respiratory infections in babies exposed to secondhand smoke, passive smoke is known to increase the severity of asthma in children with this condition.  Babies who are exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Secondhand smoke and the effects on pregnant women

Like women who smoke, pregnant women who are exposed to secondhand smoke have an increased risk of having low-birthweight babies.

Eye, nasal and throat irritation; increased risk of sinus and respiratory infections.

Now with the obvious and urgent need to control tobacco use in public places, one wonders why the Tobacco Smoking Control Bill is still awaiting ratification by the federal government after been approved by lawmakers in march, 2011. Could it be because of pressure from tobacco lobbying groups who benefit a lot from the proliferation of tobacco in the country? It is said that Nigeria is one of the largest markets for tobacco products in Africa with about 13 million Nigerians smoking and about 17 billion cigarettes produced in the country each year.