Even if you don’t smoke, there are many awful things that can happen to you simply from being around smokers.
What about your spouse? How about your parents? Do they all smoke?
When you go out with friends, are you exposed to cigarettes? Do you live with someone who smokes in the house?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these, then there is cause for alarm. You shouldn’t take your own health and breathing for granted.
Secondhand smoke is exhaled by people smoking cigarettes or cigars.
It can literally be anywhere where there are not anti-smoking rules or laws put into place.
Ever been walking down the street and a car passes you and suddenly you smell cigarettes?
That’s how potent it can be.
If someone driving 50 mph past you while can alert your senses of that stench, then the effects of secondhand smoke must be true.
I lived in an apartment building, and every night when I came home from work, I had to walk past an outside smoker in order to get to my front door.
I could smell it from a block away.
If pregnant women are around smokers on a daily basis, there is an increased likelihood of a premature weight for her baby.
Since she is inhaling tiny amounts, then she is also inhaling toxic chemicals, bad for both her body and her baby.
What if they just go outside? What’s the harm in that?
If you live with someone who does this, then yes, it’s a very good idea that they go outside each time they want to smoke.
But does that mean you are 100% avoiding it? Absolutely not!
The windows could be open, the door might be ajar, and they will still be exhaling small traces even after they come inside.
Why?
Only 10% of smoke inhaled gets exhaled.
That means 90% of what you inhale stays in your lungs after you’re done.
You could be exhaling toxic chemicals for a while after and not even know it.
Children are another huge issue regarding the effects.
Sometimes they just don’t have a choice but to be around it.
This could, in turn, hurt their lungs, stunt their growth, and cause breathing problems, including asthma, later on in life.
Plus, children look to their parents as role models. If they see that you are a smoker, they’ll most likely experiment when they get older.
In fact, they are twice as likely to pick it up as a result of being around it as children, simply because their parents engaged in it.
Is that what you want?
It’s every bit as deadly as direct smoke, only to a lesser degree. People surrounded by them on a daily basis can still get diseases and health problems.
Those are extreme cases, but they definitely do exist.
Just because you are free from tobacco use does not mean you are not immune to those diseases.
No one is 100% safe.
It’s important to take proper precaution if you’re serious about avoiding the effects.
Go to restaurants where it’s not allowed. Congregate with friends who don’t smoke.
Go out to bars and clubs that are non-smoking establishments. Get involved with the community around the issues of banning it city-wide.
Complain to people who are breaking the laws if they do exist.
It’s impossible to avoid it all together. 20% of the population uses tobacco, so you’ll inevitably run into them during your busy day.
But with proper precaution, you can reduce the likelihood of serious health problems by simply doing your best to avoid them, and establishments where it is not prohibited.
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