Why is passive smoking dangerous? Consequences of passive smoking for children. Harm of smoking on a child.

Smoking negatively affects children. It doesn’t matter whether it is passive or active. Let's look at the consequences of smoking.

The effect of smoking on children during pregnancy

Cigarettes disrupt your work reproductive system. In men, sperm quality deteriorates, and in women, smoking risks infertility or premature pregnancy. Inhaling cigarette smoke also affects the baby's health.

Adults and children can develop lung cancer from smoking.

Nicotine and tobacco smoke affect DNA structure. Cigarettes may cause genetic mutation fetus For this reason, a miscarriage occurs or a child with disabilities is born.

The fruit cannot resist toxic substances. When a woman smokes, he suffocates from carbon monoxide. Lack of oxygen leads to the development of intrauterine hypoxia. As a result, the fetus dies or lags behind in development.

The harm of smoking for children

In a family of smokers, children grow up nervous, capricious and weak. Due to decreased immunity, they are more likely to suffer from infectious or allergic diseases. In addition, they have:

  • metabolism is disrupted;
  • brain cells “die off” faster - children become absent-minded, rude and inadequate;
  • intellectual and physical development slows down;
  • are developing chronic diseases internal organs.

Sometimes they think that smoking is the norm and move from the category of passive smokers to the category of active smokers. And the parents themselves are to blame for this, as they set a bad example.

In teenage children who smoke, the skin on their faces and teeth turn yellow early, and expression wrinkles appear. The skin becomes loose due to sharp decline weight. Memory deteriorates, fatigue, lethargy and weakness are observed. The voice changes - it becomes hoarse. This is especially noticeable among teenage girls.

After cigarettes, children “switch” to alcohol and become sexually active earlier than their peers.

They spend all their pocket money on cigarettes, so they start asking for money more often. If they refuse, they can take money from their parents’ wallets for another pack without asking. Otherwise, children pick up cigarette butts and finish smoking them.

How to protect children from smoking

Most effective way- Quit smoking yourself. If this is not possible, ventilate the apartment more often or purchase an air purifier. Go out to smoke on the balcony or street. Make repairs as the walls, ceiling and floors absorb cigarette smoke.

Include as many vitamins as possible in your child's diet. In addition to vegetables and fruits, give him vitamin and mineral complexes. Before choosing them, consult your pediatrician.

Associating children with ashtrays full of cigarette butts and cigarettes clutched between their fingers is not so easy. However, contrary to any logic or common sense, babies are often introduced to tobacco while they are still embryos and while in the mother's womb.

At its core, passive smoking does not always involve being close to someone smoking a cigarette. It can also occur if a neighbor smokes on the balcony on the floor above or in the bathroom. In some cases, smoke is sucked into rooms located on the floor below. The inevitable inhalation of smoke and tobacco residue remaining on hair, clothing and household items has a negative impact on any person, and doubly so on a child.

How does secondhand smoke affect babies?

A child whose parents actively smoke begins the struggle for survival even before he is born. Because the reproductive function Smokers are most often weakened, and their ability to conceive is greatly reduced.

A pregnant woman who is unable to give up tobacco puts not only her health at risk, but also the condition of her child. With her bad habit, she can provoke a miscarriage, all kinds of congenital pathologies fruit, premature birth, as well as the appearance of a stillborn. The longer the expectant mother smokes, the greater the risk the child is exposed to: chance sudden death the fetus increases almost three times.

The fact that the consequences passive smoking for children they manifest themselves much more aggressively, no doubt. Grafted into early age Nicotine addiction becomes a stumbling block, which is almost impossible to break through later. Cigarette smoke does not calm a child's nerves, but leads to irreversible changes. All the forces of a young organism are aimed not at rapid growth and development, but at combating carbon monoxide and poisonous resins. In such conditions, the final formation internal organs it becomes extremely difficult. Sometimes unnoticeable cigarette smoke irritates the body's mucous membranes, causing painful attacks of asthma and persistent cough. The upper respiratory tract is also involved and involved in pathological processes. Before acute respiratory and infectious diseases The baby also turns out to be unprotected, because his immunity is a priori suppressed. He can easily get meningitis and tuberculosis.

If desired, you can select others the depressing aspects of secondhand smoke. It:

It becomes a disastrous start for more serious life experiments;
- kills brain cells through toxic substances contained in cigarettes;
- harms internal organs (such as the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys);
- increases the risk of cancer:
- disrupts metabolism;

It becomes obvious that the harm of passive smoking for children is enormous. And this despite the fact that we only talked about part of the problem.

The role of passive smoking in children's lives

As numerous studies show, children of smoking parents adapt much worse to new conditions (including the team, when entering kindergarten). They get sick and are capricious much more often. Those who are exposed to cigarette smoke even after birth have difficulty remembering information, are unable to concentrate on certain things, and have difficulty expressing their own thoughts. All this is caused by free radicals that predominate in tobacco smoke. They trigger oxidative processes in the body, which can only be neutralized by antioxidants (for example, vitamin C). Stocks of such substances in children's body are already extremely scarce, and given that all of them are used to neutralize free radicals, it becomes obvious why passive smoking is harmful for children and why it slows down growth and development.

It is worth understanding that the harm of parental smoking may not appear immediately. Various deviations from the norm (both physically and mentally) can appear at any time in a child’s life. It is also important to note that children who grew up in a family of smokers are 90% likely to take up cigarettes, because their parents are their role models. If the child’s relatives do not realize the harm caused by cigarettes, then they automatically push the child to experiment. Generally, genetic predisposition and the desire to grow up as quickly as possible become the root cause of youth smoking.

To summarize, we can say that passive smoking for children is a kind of cross on their entire childhood. “Children who smoke” often lose all interest in their lives and are actually deprived of the opportunity to live carefree, and this scenario is not at all what loving parents can wish for their offspring.

Why is passive smoking dangerous? Many of us don’t even think about the fact that being near a person who smokes is harmful to our health. Few people suspect that when tobacco is burned, two streams of smoke are released. The main flow is formed when the smoker takes a puff. It passes through the entire cigarette, enters the lungs and is exhaled as an additional (second) stream. Unfortunately, few people know what exactly it contains many times more harmful substances. During the research, it was found that in the additional flow the content of ammonia is 45 times higher, tar and nicotine - 50 times higher, carbon monoxide - 5 times higher. Passive smoking is the inhalation of all these compounds. Pregnant women and children are most sensitive to toxic and carcinogenic substances.

The harm of passive smoking is complex nature and, as it is not strange for many, it has an even more harmful effect on the health of people around the smoker. Scientists have long proven the relationship between passive smoking and the development of diseases:

According to one British medical journal, 5 years of living near a smoker can double the likelihood of developing blindness. Finnish doctor Markku Nurminen points out that toxic substances from exhaled breath tobacco smoke become a death sentence for the passive smokers around him with coronary heart disease. According to WHO, passive smoking is the cause of 200 thousand deaths per year.

The danger of passive smoking also lies in the fact that it, like active smoking, increases the risk of developing cancer diseases in many times.
According to Japanese health authorities, the risk of developing breast cancer is 2.6 times higher in women who are forced to inhale tobacco smoke and cannot avoid smoky rooms. Women who have not yet entered menopause are especially sensitive to tobacco smoke - this is explained by the fact that high concentrations of sex hormones can be involved in the formation of tumors in the mammary gland.

Scientists have found that workers in entertainment establishments with cancer in 2.8% of cases have education cancerous tumor caused by passive smoking.

All of the above examples indicate that the harm of passive smoking is obvious. Modern society and every potential passive smoker should think about how to protect themselves from the harmful effects of passive smoking.

Passive smoking and children

A child’s body is especially sensitive to passive smoking – and the younger he is, the more negatively tobacco smoke affects him. According to WHO, almost half of all children are doomed to suffer from adult smoking. Inhalation of tobacco smoke provokes:

  • decreased immunity;
  • bronchitis;
  • pneumonia;
  • bronchial asthma;
  • otitis;
  • neurobiological abnormalities;
  • diseases of the cardiovascular system;
  • formation of cancerous tumors.

The effects of secondhand smoke on children can be immediate or may not appear for many years.

German scientists have established a relationship between parental smoking and bronchial asthma in children. Development risk respiratory diseases in a family of smokers doubles. Children who smoke passively have a 1.4-fold increased risk of developing middle ear inflammation. Scientists have established a relationship between childhood cancers of the blood, nasal cavity and passive inhalation of tobacco smoke.

It is difficult to imagine that a mother or father can put a cigarette in the hand of their child, but few people know that smoking a pack of cigarettes in front of a child can be equated to 2-3 cigarettes that the child “smoked himself.” WHO urges all parents to remember that they have a responsibility to protect and protect their children from second-hand smoke. The consequences of seemingly harmless inhalation of “mother’s” and “father’s” smoke can be fatal for a child and lead to his disability!

Passive smoking and pregnancy

Passive smoking during pregnancy causes no less harm than active smoking.
Statistics indicate that about 80% of pregnant women become passive smokers. When passively inhaling tobacco smoke, both the body of the expectant mother and the body of the fetus suffer.

Passive expectant mothers who smoke have a much higher risk of developing certain pregnancy complications:

  • spontaneous miscarriage – by 39%;
  • stillbirth – by 23%;
  • congenital pathologies of the fetus – by 13%;
  • placenta previa and massive bleeding during childbirth – by 90%;
  • placental abruption – by 25%.

Any of these figures may make you think about the dangers of passive smoking for the body of the expectant mother.

Huge number mutagenic and carcinogenic substances passes through the placental barrier and harms all organs and systems of the unborn child.

Passive smoking by an expectant mother can lead to serious illness of the unborn child before and after birth:

The danger of passive smoking for the unborn child can be prevented by the pregnant woman herself and her environment. Knowing about the risks that tobacco smoke poses to an unborn baby and stopping smoking in the presence of the expectant mother can completely prevent trouble.

Composition of tobacco smoke

According to research by the World Health Organization, 600 thousand people die every year as a result of passive smoking.

A third of the deaths are children who are exposed to smoke in their home, the World Health Organization (WHO) found.

Tobacco smoke contains more than 4000 harmful chemical substances, including nicotine, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde. Secondary smoke is the smoke from a burning cigarette (sidestream smoke) combined with the smoke exhaled by the smoker (mainstream smoke).

Sidestream smoke amounts to most secondary smoke and is more toxic than primary smoke.

An open window will not remove tobacco smoke from the room in which people smoke. Smoke from a single cigarette can linger indoors for up to two and a half hours. Tobacco smoke lingers on carpets, furniture, clothing and walls, which is detrimental to people's health. According to research, passive smoking is no less harmful than active smoking.

Consequences of passive smoking for non-smokers

Short-term effects of passive smoking. If, with a single exposure, nicotine is quickly eliminated from the body and neutralized, then prolonged exposure to second-hand smoke can cause headache, cough or sore throat. Smoke can also irritate the eyes and cause weakness or dizziness. In people with asthma, smoke makes symptoms even worse.

Long-term effects of passive smoking. Regular inhalation of second-hand smoke increases the risk of developing diseases that are usually caused by active smoking. The World Health Organization estimates that secondhand smoke increases the risk of heart disease and lung cancer by a third, and slightly increases the risk of oral and tracheal cancer. A passive smoker also has more likely chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will develop, causing problems with breathing. Second-hand smoke leads to vasoconstriction, which causes atherosclerosis and other vascular diseases. As a result of passive smoking, gastritis develops and a tendency to constipation or diarrhea appears. The risk of tuberculosis also increases.

The harm of passive smoking for children. Research suggests that around four in ten children in the UK are exposed to second-hand smoke in the home. Passive smoking in children causes irritation of the mucous membrane of the bronchi and bronchioles and often leads to asthma. In addition, the risk of developing other serious illnesses, among which:

  • bronchitis and pneumonia
  • cough and hoarseness
  • middle ear diseases

Parents who smoke should be aware that their child is more than three times more likely to start smoking in the future, imitating adults and due to the addictive nature of exposure to second-hand smoke.

Consequences of passive smoking during pregnancy. Passive smoking is especially harmful during pregnancy. Nicotine, penetrating the mother's blood, can lead to low birth weight, which subsequently causes serious vision problems or the development of asthma. In addition, second-hand smoke during pregnancy or exposure of a newborn to tobacco smoke increases the risk of so-called sudden infant death, when a child under two dies of an unknown cause.

Refuse bad habit or becoming its slave is a personal matter for each person, however, by preferring smoking, people intentionally or unknowingly cause harm to the people around them. Who is a passive smoker and what harm does his body receive due to cigarette smoke?

What does "passive smoker" mean?

Many people hear the phrase “passive smoker” but are not fully aware of what exactly is meant by these two words. This term applies to absolutely all people who, unwillingly, inhale cigarette smoke from a nearby smoker. Thus, passive smoking is the unintentional inhalation of cigarette smoke containing tobacco combustion products.

It becomes clear that the human body can suffer from the harm of tobacco, even without being an active smoker. And the worst thing is that modern scientists are confident in more severe harm passive smoking rather than active smoking. That is why this problem increasingly popping up in the media and on television.

In order to understand the depth of the problem as much as possible, we will talk about how harmful and destructive the smoke from the combustion of tobacco can be for those people who are not smokers, but are directly next to the smoker during the act of smoking a cigarette.

Many smokers argue that passive smoking cannot be overly harmful to the human body, since a person inhales a negligible amount of cigarette smoke. However, this opinion is fundamentally wrong.

According to medical research The harm to the health of others from passive smoking is simply enormous.

It is especially dangerous if the passive smoker long time arrives indoors with active smokers.

He regularly inhales tobacco smoke, gradually adapting his own body to the nicotine and tars contained in tobacco. Passive smoking is especially dangerous for children or pregnant women, since their bodies are least resistant to the consequences of this phenomenon.

Smoke not only saturates hair and clothes, leaves its odor on the skin, leads to darkening of tooth enamel, dryness eyeballs, shortness of breath. It penetrates the body's cells, poisoning them with dangerous substances that slowly but surely kill the body. Moreover, the concentration of such substances in the smoke from a cigarette is higher than in the smoke that a smoker inhales.

Being next to a smoker leads to a number of dire consequences, among which oncopathologies are very active (namely, lung cancer, breast in women), problems with cardiovascular system(coronary heart disease), disorders brain activity etc.

Why is passive smoking more harmful than active smoking?

Passive smoking is called second-hand smoking. It is often considered less dangerous to human health, but, as scientists have found, such statements are far from the truth.

The main reasons why passive smoking is recognized official medicine more harmful than active:


Lungs of a passive smoker

The smoke released from the combustion of tobacco leads to irritation of the upper respiratory tract in one hundred percent of cases. This ultimately triggers the development allergic rhinitis, dryness in the nasal passages, a sore throat, a regular desire to sneeze. But these are only the superficial effects of passive smoking.

If you irritate the nasal mucosa regularly, you can provoke vasomotor rhinitis as chronic runny nose eventually developing into asthma. But this disease is no longer so harmless. We also note that problems with the mucous membrane often provoke ear diseases. You can “earn” tubootitis (eustachitis), which is accompanied by gurgling in the ears, frequent otitis media, decreased hearing sensitivity, and autophony (a situation where a person’s voice reverberates in the ears).

And finally, let’s not forget to mention chronic pulmonary obstruction, which can develop against the background of regular long-term passive smoking. This pathological condition poses a direct threat to human life and is extremely difficult to treat.

Who is a passive smoker and how does the sense of smell suffer?

Passive smoking can have Negative influence on almost all human organs and systems:


How does a passive smoker's sense of smell suffer?

Cigarette smoke enters a person's lungs through the nasal passages. The mucous membrane in the nose of a passive smoker dries out, and the receptors located on it cease to function. As a result, a person’s sense of smell can suffer quite severely, and even completely disappear. Getting used to the smell of smoke, a person ceases to recognize other odors.

Is it dangerous if a child is a passive smoker?

An adult has a chance to stop the effects of tobacco smoke on his body, but for children this opportunity is completely absent. When the family smokes regularly, the harm from inhaling cigarette smoke by young children will be maximum. Medicine claims that the consequences of such a phenomenon for a child may be developmental delays, allergic reactions, chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory system, decreased immunity, and therefore a higher susceptibility to various diseases.

Passive smoker of electronic cigarettes - is it possible?

Many smokers claim that vaping liquids in electronic cigarettes do not contain harmful components, which means they are safer for others and the smoker himself. But the problematic issue lies in the insufficient knowledge of such products. Therefore, if possible, avoid contact with vapers as much as you would with active smokers. tobacco products. This will allow you to avoid negative consequences for your own health.

Not everyone knows who a passive smoker is and they are often exposed to tobacco smoke because they come into contact with smoking people. Breathe cigarette smoke The nose is just as harmful as the mouth.