Saying No to Secondhand Smoke

As long as people continue to smoke tobacco, secondhand smoke will threaten the health of nonsmokers. Still, you can take steps to protect yourself and your children from other people's smoke­p;at home, at work, and in public places.

Saying No at Home

Your husband or wife smokes and you don't. Every time your mother visits and smokes, your son has an asthma attack. Your babysitter smokes.

How can you and your children share air space at home with smokers without risking your health? Here are some ideas to help you clear the air.

How To Say No

If You Live With a Smoker

• Ask him or her not to smoke inside your home. Look at this booklet together and discuss how his or her habit puts you and your children at risk.
  
  
• If he/she is unwilling to go outside, suggest ways to limit the exposure to smoke for you and your children. Maybe a room could be set aside for smoking­p;one that is seldom used by other members of the household. Some smokers protect others at home by smoking near an open window or when no one is around.
  
  
• Keep rooms well-ventilated. Open windows.
  
  
• Support smokers who decide to quit.

When Visitors Come

• Ask all smokers who visit not to smoke in your house or apartment. It's your right to keep your home free of this health risk.
  
  
• Don't keep ashtrays around.

In Others' Homes

• Tell friends and relatives politely that you'd appreciate it if they do not smoke while you're there.
  
  
• Let people know when their smoke is causing immediate problems. If it is making your allergies worse, making you cough or wheeze, or making your eyes sting­p;say so. Some smokers may put their cigarettes away when they see the discomfort it causes.

If You Have Children

• Insist that babysitters, grandparents, or other caregivers not smoke around your children. Be firm if necessary; your child's health is worth it.
  
  
• Help children avoid secondhand smoke if smokers do use tobacco around them. Have them leave the room or play outside while an adult is smoking. Air rooms out after smoking occurs. Keep smokers away from places children sleep.

Other health effects that were found to be possibly associated with ETS were as follows:

Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage);

Adverse impact on cognition and behavior during child development;

Exacerbation of cystic fibrosis (a disease marked by overproduction of mucus in the lungs);

Decreased lung function; and

Cervical cancer.
However, further research is needed to confirm the link between the above health risks and ETS.

Carcinogenic Effects of ETS
More than 3,000 chemicals are present in tobacco smoke, including at least 60 known carcinogens such as nitrosamines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Some of these compounds become carcinogenic only after they are activated by specific enzymes (proteins that control chemical reactions) found in many tissues in the body. These activated compounds can then become part of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecules and possibly interfere with the normal growth of cells. Tobacco also contains nicotine, a chemical that causes physical addiction to smoking and makes it difficult for people to stop smoking.

Although much of the research into the carcinogenicity of ETS has focused on lung cancer, ETS has also been linked with other cancers, including those in the nasal sinus cavity, cervix, breast, and bladder. The role of ETS in the development of nasal sinus cancer has been investigated in three recent studies; all three showed a significant positive association between ETS exposure and the development of nasal sinus cancer in nonsmoking adults. Several studies that focused on ETS as a risk factor for cervical cancer have shown a possible association between ETS and cancer of the cervix, although no specific conclusions could be made. Similarly, studies of the relationship between ETS exposure and breast cancer suggested an association between the two, but the evidence was weak. Although active smoking has been identified as a cause of bladder cancer, the results of studies focusing on ETS and bladder cancer have not been conclusive. More research is needed into the impact of ETS on nonsmokers' risk for cancers of the cervix, breast, and bladder.

 

 

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