THE EFFECTS OF SECOND HAND SMOKE ON LUNG CANCER

The Effects of Second Hand Smoke on Lung Cancer

The Effects of Second Hand Smoke on Lung Cancer

Introduction

Smoking cigarettes causes lung cancer. Harmful substances (carcinogens), found in tobacco, damage cells in the lungs. Over time, the damaged cells may become cancerous. The likelihood that a smoker will develop lung cancer is affected by the age at the person began smoking, how long the person has smoked, the number of cigarettes smoked per day, and how deeply the smoker inhales.

Discussion

Cigarette smoking is a major health concern in the U.S. and around the world. Whenever someone smokes, poisons such as benzene, formaldehyde and carbon monoxide are mustered out into the air, which means that not only is the smoker insufflating them but so is everyone else around that person (Stuart 2001). In this regard, every time someone lights up a cigarette, cigar, or pipe, tobacco smoke enters the air from two sources.

Nonsmokers are also vulnerable to mainstream smoke after the smoker blows it. The second and even more dangerous source is “side stream smoke” which goes immediately into the air from the burning tobacco. Among children's illness caused by the second hand smoke include respiratory illnesses and ear infections. The second hand smoke caused deaths are above all from cancer, heart disease and breathing disorders. Tobacco smoke causes instantaneous effects in many people such as eye and nasal irritation, headache, sore throat, dizziness, nausea, cough, and respiratory problems (Norman 2001).

In addition to causing disease, second hand smoke also intensifies a number of pre-existing health conditions, like some allergies, asthma, bronchitis, other respiratory ailments, and heart disease. Also, in some of the cases, exposure to second-hand smoke can stimulate severe, even life-threatening backlash in individuals who suffer from these environmental factors.

Individuals whose ...