November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, a month to focus on lung cancer and smoking. Smoking is harmful to health, how does it manifest?
A. Decrease in the number of people who smoke
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics show that in recent years, the smoking population began to significantly reduce the number of adults smoking in the United States in 2014 accounted for 16.8%, 20.9% in 2005, half a century ago, the number of adults smoking in the United States accounted for 42.4%. The decrease in the number of smokers is not only good news for smokers, but also beneficial for people exposed to secondhand smoke.
Second-hand smoke chemical pollution
The U.S. National Library of Medicine states that secondhand smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, most of which are toxic and carcinogenic. Chemical samples from secondhand smoke contain arsenic, carbon monoxide, polonium-120, and hydrogen cyanide. Arsenic is found in pesticides; carbon monoxide is found in car exhaust; polonium-120 is found in radioactive materials; and hydrogen cyanide is used in the manufacture of chemical weapons.
Third, there is no way to make second-hand smoke leave non-smokers
According to health department statistics, there are no effective measures to keep secondhand smoke away from nonsmokers, which is why some local governments have laws prohibiting smoking in workplaces, public areas and dining areas.
Fourth, inhalation of secondhand smoke leads to hearing loss
According to the American Cancer Society, secondhand smoke causes at least 750,000 ear infections each year, which is one of the leading causes of hearing loss in young people. Children living in households with smokers are twice as likely to suffer sensory-neural deafness from secondhand smoke, usually in older adults or children with congenital deafness.
V. Discomfort from cigarette addiction
A 2008 study in the Journal of Addictive Behaviors reported that smokers choose a lifestyle that puts their lives at risk, but they do not want their children to suffer from addiction. Yet children who live with parents who smoke may develop nicotine dependence during their formative years. A team of Canadian researchers found that children exposed to passive smoking for long periods of time will experience uncomfortable symptoms of detoxification, such as: irritability, inability to sleep, and increased appetite.
Sixth, third-hand smoke is worse
If second-hand smoke is not bad, then there is also the danger of third-hand smoke, cigarette particles attached to walls, carpets, furniture, dust particles, etc. When you walk into a house, if you notice the smell that remains after a smoker leaves, this is third-hand smoke. Current research has found that third-hand smoke contains toxic compounds that can have a negative impact on human health, even if the cigarette has been extinguished.
Seven, inhalation of second-hand smoke susceptible to a variety of cancers
People who passively inhale secondhand smoke will increase the incidence of lung cancer by 20-30%, while secondhand smoke is also associated with breast cancer, sinus cavity cancer, and nasopharyngeal cancer in adults, and is a potential cause of childhood leukemia, lymphoma, and brain tumors. Some studies even suggest that secondhand smoke is also associated with cervical cancer, although the correlation between the two is not sufficient.
Eight, induce heart disease vascular endothelial damage
Approximately 46,000 nonsmokers die of heart disease each year, and their deaths are closely related to exposure to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke not only stimulates the respiratory system, but also immediately affects the heart, blood circulation and blood vessels, exposure to secondhand smoke environment will increase the incidence of heart disease by 25-30%.
Nine, leading to a serious decline in fertility
The American Institute for Cancer Research study reported that, worryingly, secondhand smoke even affects reproductive health, and the chemicals in secondhand smoke are harmful to sperm, which will affect fertility and fetal development.
Ten, leading to weight gain body fat accumulation
A recent study by Brigham Young University in 2014 reported that people exposed to secondhand smoke in particular will experience disruptions in the endocrine system and body metabolism, which can lead to weight gain. Inhaling secondhand smoke will trigger a microscopic lipid called ceramide to disintegrate cellular function and inhibit insulin response. Once someone becomes insulin resistant, his body will require more insulin and along with the rise in insulin, body fat will accumulate.
Eleven, the risk and probability of tooth decay increases
Usually smokers’ teeth are not too good, smoking makes teeth discolored and there are tobacco residues. In October this year, the British Medical Journal published a study showing that people exposed to second-hand smoke will increase the risk of tooth decay. Researchers analyzed the health data of 76,920 children born between 2004 and 2010, and children with smokers in the family were 1.5 times more likely to have tooth decay than children in non-smoking families.