Radio Shows | Cancer on the Side with Second Hand Smoke | mp3 … wma … wav

Neither of us are smokers so I think we're in the cheering section behind laws that now ban smoking in places like restaurants and public areas.

I'm relieved because I've always wondered why restaurants bothered with non-smoking sections. You can't keep the smoke from drifting and second hand smoke is just as damaging to my health as actually smoking. (That's because second hand smoke causes just as much damage as smoking.)

Well let's talk about the damaging effects of second hand smoke. It's either the inhalation of smoke exhaled by a smoker or the smoke that comes from a lit cigarette, cigar or pipe.

People exposed to this smoke absorb the same nicotine, and other toxic and cancer causing chemicals that smokers do.

That's because tobacco smoke has over 4,000 chemical compounds, of which at least 60 are known or suspected to cause cancer. Non-smokers exposed to second hand smoke face an increased risk of dying from heart disease, lung cancer and breathing problems.

Children exposed to second hand smoke are of increased risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, asthma and middle ear infections. Today 21 million American children live in homes where they are exposed to smoke on a regular basis.

An astounding 50 to 75 percent of children in the US have detectable levels of nicotine or its breakdown products in their blood.

A study using a special type of MRI of the lungs found nearly 60 percent of smokers and 30 percent of non-smokers exposed to high levels of second hand smoke appeared to have lung damage.

Furthermore, both showed signs of developing respiratory problems such as asthma or chronic bronchitis.

These results confirm second hand smoke damages the lungs. This should deter new smokers and encourage current smokers to get help quitting.

So - Thank you for NOT smoking!

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