Effects of Exposure to Secondhand Smoke
Immediate effects
Immediate effects of secondhand smoking comprise of eye irritation, cough, sore throat, headache, nausea and dizziness.
Long-term effects
Lung cancer: The major cause of lung cancer among non-smokers is secondhand smoke. One of the studies revealed that hospitality workers who were exposed to secondhand smoke became three times more prone to lung cancer.
Cardiovascular problems: ETS can induce short-term and long-term harm to the heart by decreasing its functional capacity and lowering the capacity of blood to carry oxygen. Some of the chemicals in secondhand smoke can block or harden the arteries, causing problems like atherosclerosis, hypertension and later heart attack. In one of the studies, it was found that secondhand smoking enhances the risk of a heart attack by at least two times.
Stroke: Non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke run at least 80% more risk of stroke than do the non-exposed people.
Asthma: One of the studies revealed that the non-smokers exposed to ETS at work showed at least twice the risk of asthma than the non-exposed people did.
Those who were exposed to ETS at home as well, showed as much as five times greater risk for asthma than the non-exposed people did.
In individuals who already suffer from asthma, exposure to ETS can significantly decline their lung function.
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