Passive smoking is the involuntary inhalation of smoke from tobacco products. It occurs when tobacco smoke permeates any environment, causing inhalation by all people within that environment. Such smoke is called second-hand smoke (SHS) or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Current scientific evidence shows that exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke causes death, disease and disability.
Passive smoking is one of the key issues leading to smoking bans in workplaces and indoor public places, including restaurants, bars and night clubs. A study in the British Medical Journal has shown that more than 11,000 people in the UK die as a result of passive smoking. Inhaling second-hand smoke has a weaker effect on the lungs than actual smoking but over a long period of time can be fatal.
The short-term effects of passive smoking are:
- Irritated eyes.
- Headache.
- Dizziness.
- Nausea.
- Lung function is decreased in asthma sufferers.
- Blood flow through the heart is reduced.
The long-term effects of passive smoking are:
- Increased risk of heart disease.
- Middle-ear disease.
- Lung cancer.
- Asthmatic attacks and reduced lung function in children.
- Behavioural problems in children.
- Premature birth and miscarriage.
How many people die?
Second hand smoke is one of the main sources of indoor pollution. Exposure to second-hand smoke at home causes the deaths of 2,700 20 to 64 year-olds in the UK every year. This equates to a total of 30 people dying from passive smoking each day. Two of the 30 are victims in the workplace; this figure is twice the number of deaths caused by workplace accidents.
If you thought the only people who were affected by passive smoking at work were barmen and waiters, think again. Less than one in ten people killed by passive smoking at work each year are employed in pubs, clubs and restaurants.
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