Many butts and If

Your smoking is injurious to my health. Dad, please do not fill the room with this dirty air, it suffocates me. Please, give me a room to breathe," have you ever felt your child's agony when you light up that poison stick and smoke in pleasure?

How often have you heard the silence of your one-year-old? "Yes, I do care doctor, because I smoke outside in the balcony when my child is in the bedroom. I avoid smoking in front of my kids." This is the usual explanation I get from my well educated patients. We smoke outside, agreed; but how many of us wash our hands and clean our teeth before we hold our little children?

We all work in smoke-free offices, and have learnt to go out and smoke. Fortunately, the government has also taken disciplinary actions for "smoking in public places", which has further led to an awakening among smokers to be cautious in public places and workplaces while lighting up their stick. The government, however, cannot touch situations prevailing at homes, which needs to be addressed seriously.

What is second hand smoking?

First of all, we need to understand what is passive smoking? Passive smoke or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is a mixture of exhaled mainstream smoke (smoke exhaled by smokers); and side stream smoke (smoke generated from a passively lit cigarette); as well as contaminants that diffuse through the cigarette paper and cigarette end between puffs. ETS contains more than 4,000 chemical compounds, and is even more carcinogenic than active smoking. US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified ETS as a Class A (known human) carcinogen, along with asbestos, arsenic, benzene and radon gas. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has concluded that secondhand smoke is an occupational carcinogen. Second hand smoke is a major source of indoor air pollution.

Immediate effects of passive smoke

Some of the immediate effects of passive smoking include eye irritation, headache, cough, sore throat, dizziness and nausea. Adults with asthma can experience a significant decline in lung function when exposed, while new cases of asthma may be induced in children whose parents smoke. Just 30 minutes exposure is enough to reduce coronary blood flow.

Passive smoking and adults

Breathing secondhand smoke for even a short time can have immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and interferes with the normal functioning of the heart, blood, and vascular systems in ways that increase the risk of a heart attack. Non-smokers, who are exposed to passive smoking in the home, have a 25 per cent increased risk of heart disease and lung cancer. A major review by the Government-appointed Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health (SCOTH) concluded that passive smoking is a cause of lung cancer and ischemic heart disease in adult non-smokers.

Passive smoking and children

It is alarming to know that nearly 700 million children worldwide live in the home of a smoker. Infants of mothers who smoke have five times the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). They also suffer from reduced birth weight and reduced lung functioning. Passive smoking increases the risk of bronchitis, pneumonia and bronchiolitis and is a risk factor for new cases of asthma in children. Passive smoking is also associated with middle ear infection in children as well as possible cardiovascular impairment and behavioural problems. A US study found deficits in reading and reasoning skills among children even at low levels of smoke exposure.

Quit smoking

The single best way for giving you and your family a smoke-free environment is to quit smoking. Quitting requires planning, and a strong intention. There are effective support systems to help you in your quitting process. A Structured Tobacco Cessation Clinic can help you in your treatment of tobacco dependence. Intervention needs to combine intensive psychotherapeutic interventions, along with pharmacotherapy to reduce withdrawals. Nicotine replacement therapy and pharmacotherapy is also available to make the quitting process easier. A new drug such as Varenicline, is promising greater success in managing the cravings or withdrawals effectively.