According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Basic Survey on the Environment and Health (2018-2020), the concentration of cotinine in the urine of preschoolers aged 3 or older increased by 78% from the 2015-2017 survey. Cotinine is a measure of passive smoking and is a nicotine metabolite. Cotinine levels detected in elementary school students also increased by 39% over the past three years. What happened? Why were children at risk of passive smoking?
Children should avoid heavy cigarette smoke. However, if there is less smoke and smell, it is inevitable and you may be exposed to passive smoking. Secondhand smoke is worse for your health. This is because harmful substances such as carcinogens are exposed without a filter. Health authorities believe that the recent increase in liquid e-cigarettes has also affected the situation. Because there is less smoke and smell, people sometimes smoke in non-smoking areas. Electronic cigarettes also contain harmful ingredients such as nicotine. Harmful ingredients can spread through invisible vapor.
According to data from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, liquid e-cigarettes produced 12 times more fine dust than ordinary cigarettes when smoking outdoors. The e-cigarettes, which were rolled up, also caused air pollution with a radius of more than 10 meters despite the weak wind when three people smoked. Smoking in the city's outdoor smoking area can cause damage to people around you. If you smoke while walking, harmful substances may be transmitted directly to people around you.
According to a study, the steam from e-cigarettes causes bronchitis symptoms and difficulty breathing in people around them. According to a paper published in the journal Thorax of the British Society of Chest Studies, the risk of bronchitis increased by 40 percent and difficulty breathing increased by 53 percent in teenagers exposed to e-cigarette vapor. Non-smokers were three times more likely to develop bronchitis and two times more likely to experience wheezing and breathing difficulties.
According to the national cancer registration statistics, lung cancer overtook stomach cancer and became the most common cancer in Korea (2019). Except for thyroid cancer, the number of lung cancer patients is the highest. Lung cancer ranks first among all cancers. In 2019 alone, there were 9,629 new cases of female lung cancer. 94.4 percent of female lung cancer patients were non-smokers. There are various factors such as fine dust and cooking smoke, but considering that there are many patients in their 70s and older, the effects of passive smoking in the past when smoking freely in the living room and in the back of the house are also significant.
Smoking does not only cause lung cancer. Many carcinogens in cigarettes penetrate into major organs through the mouth, bronchial tubes, and lungs through blood vessels. Surprisingly, smoking is the number one risk factor for developing pancreatic cancer. Smoking is the top risk factor for bladder cancer. Oral cancer and stomach cancer are also among the top risk factors. Second-hand smoke, which is sniffed at smoke by others, is more dangerous. First of all, you shouldn't smoke on the street.
Writer: Yeyoung Jeon
(Picture from Unsplash)
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