The exposure of non-smokers to the smoke of other people's cigarettes is called 'passive smoking'. Passive smokers are exposed to the smoke of smokers and inhale all the harmful substances in this smoke, and even if these people in smoking environments do not smoke, they are affected as much as smokers. Harmful substances spread into the environment by cigarette smoke are absorbed into the blood both through breathing and through the skin.
In passive smoking, the person is exposed to the smoke of the burning cigarette and the smoke exhaled by the smoker. There are more than 4000 chemicals in this smoke, at least 43 of which have carcinogenic properties. Since the smoke from a burning cigarette is not filtered, it contains twice as much tar and nicotine as what the smoker inhales through the filter into his lungs.
The effects of passive smoking on children are very dramatic. 70% of children living in the United States have at least one adult smoker in their home. The rate of passive smoking among children in our country is around 75%. Every year, 1500 children between the ages of 0-5 die because their parents smoke. Children whose parents smoke are exposed to the harmful substances in cigarettes as if they themselves smoked 3-70 packs of cigarettes a year.
People who do not smoke may be affected by the smoke that penetrates the smoker's hair, skin and clothes, even if they are not smoking next to them. When you smoke in one room of the house, cigarette smoke spreads throughout the house within minutes. It permeates all surfaces such as carpets, walls and furniture and spreads back into the air within days.
Pregnancy and Smoking
Exposure to passive cigarette smoke in the womb before birth negatively affects the baby's health, like active smoking. . The risk of giving birth to a low birth weight baby is 2 times higher in pregnant women who do not smoke themselves and are exposed to second-hand smoke for 7 hours or more a day. It then passes to the baby through milk. Studies have shown that smoking adversely affects the structural formation and functions of the respiratory system in the womb.
Due to the strong vasoconstrictor properties of nicotine in cigarettes, it causes damage to the blood vessels and umbilical cord that carry clean blood to the mother's uterus. It causes constriction in the vessels that carry nutrients and oxygen to the fetus, and the nutrients and oxygen required for the baby's development cannot reach the fetus in sufficient quantities. Carbon monoxide, which passes to the baby through blood, is found in the fetal bloodstream at a rate of 15% higher than that found in the mother. It binds to the place of oxygen in the blood, reducing oxygen delivery to the tissues of the developing fetus. As a result, the baby cannot develop adequately, remains small, has a low birth weight and is shorter in height. The mother may have a miscarriage or premature birth. Babies of mothers who smoke are usually born 200-250 grams lighter and 1 cm shorter. Smoking during pregnancy is responsible for 14% of premature births and 10% of all infant deaths.
Nicotine and its metabolites also pass into breast milk. As a result of the effect of nicotine on the mother's hormonal system or directly on the blood flows that feed the breasts, the amount of milk decreases and mothers who smoke generally have less milk.
When the mother actively smokes or is exposed to passive smoking, the chromosomes are damaged and a newborn is born. A number of congenital anomalies may occur. Smoking causes an increase in some congenital anomalies such as cleft palate-lip and heart valve disease.
Sudden infant death and obstructive apnea
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). ) is a condition that is thought to be related to narrowed airways or obstructive apnea (obstructive apnea), the cause of which is unknown, and many factors have been investigated as the cause. Exposure to cigarette smoke is one of the known preventable causes of SIDS.
Effects of exposure to cigarette smoke on respiratory system diseases
Respiratory diseases are as high as 70% in children whose both parents smoke. Studies have found that the rate of hospitalization due to pneumonia and bronchitis in babies of non-smoking mothers is 9%, and 31% in babies of mothers who smoke more than a pack of cigarettes a day. Many studies have shown that secondhand smoke increases the frequency of acute respiratory disease (bronchitis, pneumonia, laryngitis), especially in the first 2 years of age. Children of parents who smoke half a pack or more of cigarettes a day are twice as likely to be hospitalized from any respiratory disease. Cigarette smoke; Relieve attacks of sinusitis, rhinitis, cystic fibrosis and bronchitis gets married. It also increases the frequency of colds and sore throats in children.
Effects of exposure to cigarette smoke on respiratory function tests
The lung capacity of children exposed to smoke caused by smoking more than 20 cigarettes a day in their homes decreases, It has been shown to be 2.5% lower than in children whose parents do not smoke. In addition, it has been determined that airway sensitivity, called bronchial sensitivity, is more common in these children, which paves the way for the development of asthma. It is stated that the decrease in lung development is the basis for these people to develop asthma or COPD in later life.
The effects of exposure to cigarette smoke on the development of asthma and allergies
In our country, approximately fifteen percent of children suffer from asthma. asthma is observed. There are many studies showing that exposure to cigarette smoke in the womb and after birth affects the development of asthma in babies and children. The risk of developing asthma in babies of mothers who smoke during pregnancy is 4 times higher in the first year.
Exposure to the smoke of parents' cigarettes increases both the frequency and severity of childhood asthma. It has been determined that children with asthma living in homes where smoking have attacks more often and go to the emergency room.
In addition, studies have found that children whose parents smoke have a higher risk of allergies, such as eczema, urticaria (hives) and food allergies. It has been stated that allergic findings are 4 times more common.
The effects of exposure to cigarette smoke on the development of middle ear infection
It has been determined that middle ear infections are more common in children whose parents smoke.
Cancer Risk and Smoking in Children
Studies show that parental smoking, especially the mother's smoking during pregnancy, increases the risk of brain tumors and rhabdomyosarcoma in the child, and that exposure to cigarette smoke in childhood increases the risk of leukemia. Studies have also been published stating that passive smoking in childhood poses a risk for the emergence of malignant diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma in adulthood.
Obesity in Children R Smoking and Smoking
Children of mothers who smoke during pregnancy are 3 times more likely to be obese later in life.
Smoking and the Psychic Development of the Child
Prenatal Babies exposed to smoking experience intellectual developmental disabilities such as hyperactivity, attention deficit, and difficulties in learning spelling, reading, and math problems. These children have more problems coping with stress, the risk of going into psychosis during adolescence increases, they sleep less, breathe more frequently, often have feeding problems, sweat more and have fever more often.
What the children's parents say. Various studies have shown that children whose parents smoke start smoking at an early age, thinking that smoking is a normal behavior. Today, the age to start smoking in the world is 10-12. Approximately 5,000 children start smoking every day.
The World Health Organization has announced that the most important initiative a smoker can take for his own health is to quit smoking. In our opinion, quitting smoking is the most important initiative that a person has to make for his own health and, more importantly, for his children to grow up as healthy, non-smoking individuals. For this reason, we recommend that all smokers, especially parents, take action to quit smoking and act with the awareness that smoking darkens their and their children's future.
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