Second-Hand Smoke: Is it Really that Bad?

What can I say, I really enjoyed reading Lori's (a.k.a Dr.Devience) article on health benefits for smokers that most of us were never aware of before. I certainly know I wasn't on numerous accounts reading over the different ways smoking can help you as opposed to hurt you. However, you are reading this article simply because even though she explained that she knew it caused some form of cancer, I have a feeling that all these "smokers" will be getting excited over the fact that they have something to use as a rebuttal every time someone says they should quit smoking, which looking at the comments over there has already begun to happen.

Now, I'm sure I am a little partial at the moment because I am in day #4 of my process to quit smoking, but I want those out there that do smoke to understand that it still is a better option not too. One that stands out above all is quitting for your children. Why? First and foremost they don't have a choice when they are young. Adults lighting up around children may not understand that if your family history suggests that you have the genetic traits for lung cancer you could be contributing to the children around you. Even though "Second-Hand Smoke" whiners can go quite overboard on their rants you can find enough evidence to conclude it is not good for the young ones.

Ages ranging anywhere from new born to five years old breathe on average around 20 times per minute and as much as 60 times per minute which means that they inhale more and if around smokers will accumulate more tobacco filled air into their system then a non-smoking adult sitting right next to the smoker. So if you continue to smoke please be courteous to your own children or someone else's you may be around, if they can't choose the surroundings they are in you can at least have some sort of "smoker's etiquette" towards them.

The following was taken from the previous article; "In a multivariate analysis, children of mothers who smoked at least 15 cigarettes a day tended to have lower odds for suffering from allergic rhino-conjunctivitis, allergic asthma, atopic eczema and food allergy, compared to children of mothers who had never smoked (ORs 0.6-0.7). Children of fathers who had smoked at least 15 cigarettes a day had a similar tendency (ORs 0.7-0.9)." - This from a recent study in Sweden. Did you hear that? Lower incidence in asthma in children of parents who smoke...

While this is true and I am always baffled at the numbers on any study like this " at least 15 cigarettes a day" I mean was someone just puffin' away and hit the 15 cig and all these red sirens started going off or what? Anyways, here are some not so great findings like babies that are born to a mother who smokes are more susceptible to be born underweight which contributes to other health related issues as well. Fetuses that are exposed to the chemicals of tobacco smoke are at a greater risk of having SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). It increases the risk of babies having cerebral palsy. Children that already have asthma and are around smoke only worsen their conditions. You can read several articles on the topic here.

Seems the question is what do you believe and what do you not believe. Everyone can sit back and way all the pros and cons but are they all true? What other factors that scientists don't explain are involved in each study. I mean can I sit here and say I know for a fact that smoking increases the chance for a baby to be born with cerebral palsy? Hell no, I have no clue but can I say that if a women smokes at least 15 cigs a day its going to decrease the chance for a child to get asthma? Again, Hell no, you just believe what you what to believe for whatever reason, and in this case I believe for the children its not worth taking the risk of smoking around them.

As for everything else it has been said and I can attest to it that smoking helps keep the weight off, but does that mean everyone who feels they need to lose weight should start smoking? Last time I checked consistent exercise and a steady diet does that as well. Why would anyone want to spend an hour a day exercising when they can be sitting online reading this and lighting one up having the same effect (I know one of you is thinking that right now, lol)?

Whether you are aware or not tobacco smoke has over 4,000 chemicals in it where realistically about 1% of those are known to cause some form of cancer. However, when someone reads a pack of cigarettes (lol, like anyone actually reads that) the Surgeon General Warning gives you all the reasons why not to smoke. I want to go back to my bartending days and mix a little cocktail together and call it the Smoker's Delight with the following ingredients:

Benzene- An additive used in fuel.
Formaldehyde- Used to preserve dead bodies.
Ammonia- Keeping America's toilets clean.
Acetone- A little Nail Polish Remover.
Tar- Yeah that black stuff.
Nicotine- A little insecticide.
Carbon Monoxide- Some car exhaust fumes.
Arsenic- A pinch of rat poison.
Hydrogen Cyanide- last but not least a little gas chamber poison.

Shake n' Stir, serve as dry tobacco with a filter (optional).

This article was not intended to prove anyone wrong about anything it is simply to give you additional facts and a dose of humor to get both sides of the story before avid smokers start claiming that smoking is nothing but good for them even though Lori explained it thoroughly.