the effects of passive smoking

The first global study into the effects of passive smoking has found
it causes 600,000 deaths every year.
One-third of those killed are children, often exposed to smoke at home,
the World Health Organization (WHO) found. The
study, in 192 countries, found that passive smoking is particularly
dangerous for children, said to be at higher risk of sudden infant death
syndrome, pneumonia and asthma. Passive
smoking causes heart disease, respiratory illness and lung cancer.
"This helps us understand the real toll of
tobacco," said Armando Peruga, of the WHO's Tobacco-Free Initiative, who
led the study. The study used estimates of
the incidence of specific diseases and of the number of people exposed
to second-hand smoke in particular areas. The
global health body said it was particularly concerned about the
estimated 165,000 children who die of smoke-related respiratory
infections, mostly in South East Asia and in Africa.
It said that this group was more exposed to passive smoking than
any other group, principally in their own homes.
"The mix of infectious diseases and second-hand smoke is a deadly
combination," Mr Peruga said. As well as being
at increased risk of a series of respiratory conditions, the lungs of
children who breathe in passive smoke may also develop more slowly than
children who grow up in smoke-free homes.
Worldwide, as many as 40% of children, 33% of non-smoking men and 35%
non-smoking women were exposed to second-hand smoke in 2004, researchers
found. This exposure was estimated to have
caused 379,000 deaths from heart disease, 165,000 from lower respiratory
infections, 36,900 from asthma and 21,400 from lung cancer.
According to the study, the highest numbers of people
exposed to second-hand smoke are in Europe and Asia and the lowest rates
of exposure were in the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean and Africa.
The research also revealed that passive
smoking had a large impact on women, killing about 281,000 worldwide.
This is due to the fact that in many parts of the world, the study
suggests, women are at least 50% more likely to be exposed to
second-hand smoke than men. However, the
researchers said were limitations to the study, including uncertainties
about the underlying health data and gaps in the data relating to
exposure to second-hand smoke. Writing in the
Lancet, Dr Heather Wipfli of the University of Southern California and
colleagues, said: "There are well acknowledged uncertainties in
estimates of disease burden. "However, there
can be no question that the 1.2bn smokers in the world are exposing
billions of non-smoker Are you a smoker? Do
you think passive smoking affects your family's health? Write to us in
English!
Passive smoking
التدخين السلبي
Exposed to
يتعرض
الى
Dangerous
خطير
Heart diseases
أمراض القلب
Respiratory
illness
أمراض الجهاز التنفسي
Lung cancer
سرطان الرئة
Impact

تأثير
Limitations
حدود أو قيود
Uncertainties
شكوك