The Dangers of Passive Smoking

The vast majority of smokers are well aware of the possible health implications of their habit. That might be difficult to understand – why would someone knowingly cause harm to themselves? – but it’s fairly difficult to be blind to the health risks of smoking. With anti-smoking messages now appearing on cigarette packaging and a continued drive by governments and states to cut down the number of smokers, being unaware is unlikely.

However, one issue that tends to get ignored is that of passive smoking. There is an unfortunate truth in that smoking not only affects the smoker themselves, but anyone they may be near when they smoke. Even if you are a non-smoker, if you live or regularly socialize with a smoker who smokes in your presence, then you could be at risk of smoking-related illnesses as well. As the smoke is expelled from the cigarette and smoker, if a non-smoker is nearby they cannot help but also inhale some of the substance.

No one is entirely sure of the effects of passive smoking, as many cigarette-related illnesses can manifest for a variety of reasons – there is no “you only get this if you smoke” illness. However, the statistics indicate that passive smoking is a very real threat, with non-smokers who regularly spend time around cigarette smoke up to 50% more likely to get a smoking-related illnesses than a non-smoker who does not socialize with smokers.

If you live with someone who smokes, to avoid this it is best to try and ask them to smoke outside. If that isn’t possible, compromise on them smoking near a window, and ventilate the house often by opening all windows.