Does All Health News Go Up In Smoke?
Does All Health News Go Up In Smoke?
A study published in the journal Environmental Health found that people who smoke in confined places inhale enough secondhand smoke to significantly increase their risk from smoking. Researchers in Genoa, Italy chose 15 newsstand vendors for their study because they worked alone inside small kiosks. The researchers discovered that smoking 14 cigarettes a day in an enclosed space is equal to smoking an extra 2.6 cigarettes. Also, 14.6%-20% of the carcinogens from regular cigarettes came from secondhand smoke. From light cigarettes it was 21%-34%. Obviously, smokers should have firsthand knowledge about secondhand smoke.
Thirdhand smoke is the nicotine residue from secondhand smoke. This residue is on indoor surfaces and car interiors, where it can stay for months. It’s also on clothes and skin. A study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that when this residue interacts with nitrous acid from unvented gas appliances or vehicle engines, it forms TSNA’s – one of the most potent carcinogens in tobacco smoke. Because TSNA exposure is through touch, dust inhalation or ingestion, babies and toddlers are most at risk. Opening windows won’t eliminate thirdhand smoke. Opening minds will.
Minds also have to be open to the fact that hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is the second-leading cause of death in the U.S. It triggers more than one-third of heart attacks, is a leading cause of strokes and kidney failure and plays a role in blindness and dementia. According to the Institute of Medicine, nearly 1 in 3 adults has hypertension. Leading risk factors include being overweight, inactivity and poor diet. The good news is we can avoid those three risk factors by exercising, eating less
Pages: 1 2