effects of passive smoking

 The smoke that is expelled to the air by a smoker is called a passive smoke. The inhalation of Passive Smoke is very dangerous to the health and is a very significant public health hazard.

Passive Smoke contains about four thousand chemicals that are harmful to health. Most of these chemicals are carcinogens and other toxins that have been scientifically proved to cause various diseases in human and even animal. These chemical are Hydrogen, cyanide, Carbon Monoxide, Acetaldehyde, Benzene, Ammonia, etc.

Diseases caused by these chemicals include Cancer of the Lung, Cancer of the Kidney, Cancer of the Breast, Cancer of the Bladder, etc.

Exposure to Passive Smoke can lead to Respiratory diseases like Chronic Bronchitis, Coronary Artery Diseases, Stroke, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Aggravation of Asthma in children, etc.

Particularly, those people at the risk of passive smoke are people that hang out in bars and restaurants, children and pregnant women.

Over three thousands of non smoker die every year from Lung Cancer caused by Passive Smoking. Carbon Monoxide in Passive Smoke is a known cause of growth retardation and developmental toxicity in unborn babies, while Benzene causes chromosomal abnormalities in foetus

The World Health Organisation through the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control has come up with some guidelines to help protect people from the harmful effects of Passive Smoking. These guidelines are part of the articles of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which is a treaty with 168 countries.

Top on the list of the articles of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control are United State, New Zealand, Uganda, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, United Kingdom, Canada, etc have been able to enact smoke free policies through the enforcement of the policies.

The importance of the effective passage and enforcement of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control cannot be overemphasised. The government has a huge responsibility to protect our Pregnant Women, Children, Workers at bars and restaurants, and the entire world populations from the danger of the Passive Smoking.