If you live with a smoker, you can suffer indirect damage even if you are not in a place where you smoke. This is because cigarette particles generated during the smoking process remain on the smoker's clothes or skin and are transmitted to non-smokers. This is called 'tertiary smoking'.
Both the primary smoking of smoking cigarettes and the secondary smoking of drinking cigarette smoke without smoking both inhale cigarette smoke directly or indirectly. On the other hand, tertiary smoking is exposed to toxic substances in cigarettes only by contacting smokers. This is because toxic substances move and accumulate in the form of particles when they come back from smoking. The more time you spend in the same space as a smoker, the higher the risk of tertiary smoking. As a result of watching a movie together with smokers and non-smokers in a movie theater that injected clean air, some studies show that the concentration of tobacco-related toxic substances such as benzene, formaldehyde, and acrolein in the air has increased (Yale University in the United States). Over time, the concentration of toxic substances decreased, but it was found that they did not disappear completely.
In particular, tertiary smoking can be more dangerous for children. This is because young children basically have weaker respiratory systems than adults, and when parents smoke, they often come into contact with smokers' hair and clothes. The toxic substances in cigarettes enter the body and spread at a rapid rate, and the smaller children, the more affected they are. If infants and toddlers are exposed to tertiary smoking, there is also a risk of respiratory infection, asthma, and poor bone development.
It is difficult to prevent tertiary smoking only with indoor ventilation. This is because cigarette harmful substances on hair, body, and clothes remain long even if ventilated. Smoking is the only way, and if it is difficult to quit right away, smoke and enter at least two hours later. It is recommended to change clothes worn when smoking, and non-smokers should avoid contact with people who have just smoked or smoking spaces.
Writer: Sarah Li
コメント