The dangers of secondhand smoke

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Anyone who even remotely listens to the news  is aware of the dangers of secondhand smoke. But, of late, even more compelling reasons is being reported that should make all smokers start taking steps to stop the dangerous habit.

The findings

According to the WHO in an article entitled "Secondhand amoke kills 600K people a year"http://www.newser.com/, 1% of all deaths worldwide are caused by secondhand smoke resulting in  600,000 deaths. Smoking related disease such as heart disease, asthma and lung cancer remain the devastating killers. 

What's worse,  children are dying from smoking in the home. In the "Medical Minute" (ABCNEWS.COM) video clip from September 21, 2007, it was woefully pointed out that 21 million children in the US are exposed to secondhand smoke. Children are suffering and dying from asthma and respiratory infections as a result.  Further, it has been discovered that children are suffering academically as a result of the smoking in the home. Performance on standardized tests are suffering with those kids 16-18 more likely to fail.

Further information regarding secondhand smoke inhalation was similarly pointed out by ABCNEWS Medical Editor, Dr. Timothy Johnson.  Smokers who choose to smoke in closed in areas inhale their own secondhand smoke which islike smoking 2.6 more cigarettes a day increasing the risk of heart disease and lung cancer.

What's the consensus?

The bottom line is really a no-brainer - stop smoking.  If not for yourself, do it for your children and family members.

Related articles

• Second-Hand Smoke Kills 600K People a Year (newser.com)
• Passive smoking 'causes one in 100 deaths worldwide' (dailymail.co.uk)