Secondhand Smoke is Harmful to Everyone and Unacceptable to Most

Photo Courtesy / TheStar Smokers choose to carry around cigarettes everywhere they go.

By Edita Bardhi

Opinion Editor

In the present generation, every individual is familiar with the unhealthy aroma caused by cigarette smoke. This aroma is nearly impossible to escape from, especially in public areas such as bus stations, streets and neighborhoods.

Essentially, the chemicals a smoker exhales will indeed be inhaled by another human being. Yet, daily smokers frequently choose to disregard this factor, and they continue to smoke around others.

Initially, secondhand smoke is harmful to people. It essentially contains more than 7,000 chemicals. Of this 7,000, there are at least 40 that trigger common health conditions we often mistake as the average sick day. Alternatively, there are lifelong diseases, and deaths caused by secondhand smoke.

As early as infancy, beings can become at risk of asthma attacks, respiratory infections, ear infections, chronic cough and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). According to the American Lung Association, 69 of these chemicals are known to cause cancer.

By teenage years, people inhale quite a big of cigarette smoke. As adolescents, they become interested in the act. They choose to accompany the smoker as they smoke their cigarette, even if they end up having to inhale the smoke for a long period of time.

This decision alone may be a risk factor on so many levels. First, people may feel tempted to try a cigarette.

Second, they may begin to believe that cigarette smoking is not harmful, and instead a positive act.

Third, they may simply accept the aroma to the point where they stop caring about the health risks.

All of this leads back to smokers choosing to smoke in front of other people.

Moreover, cigarette smokers are inconsiderate toward their surroundings. The aroma of cigarette smoke can and will be notable toward everyone, especially non-smokers.

For this, smokers must choose their smoking areas wisely.

Frequently, smokers immediately think to light their cigarette despite where they are, and it can cause major issues later. For instance, there are indeed people in the world already suffering through sicknesses. 

Thus, inhaling cigarette smoke, or being surrounded by it, may worsen their health. Furthermore, secondhand smoke is not tolerable for anyone.

Specifically, people do in fact dislike the act altogether. They do not appreciate smokers smoking around them, they dislike the mess it leaves behind and they are definitely disgusted by the aroma. Frequently, smokers are forgetful of this, however, that does not make their decision to smoke any more acceptable.

Alternatively, it is disrespectful to smoke around people without asking for consent. Whether it may be a parent, a sibling, a friend, a neighbor, or whomever else, it does not matter.

It is disrespectful all the same.

Considerably, smokers become addicted to the act that they must have a cigarette or they will not feel well.

Even more, they become familiar with the aftermath. This includes body odor, smelly clothes, stains, filled ashtrays, a filthy atmosphere and more.

Generally, all of these things will cause polluted air.

Nonetheless, cigarette smoking is a choice made by one person: the smoker.

Smokers choose to spend their money on a pack of cigarettes, they go out of their way to smoke and they find a reason to actually smoke.

So, the least a smoker could do is to spend time finding a respectable location to smoke.

In fact, smokers can choose to harm their life by smoking, however it is disrespectful to put others in harm. They must not encourage secondhand smoke by choosing to smoke around others.

In all, the old saying, “You are breathing in what they are breathing out,” expresses a true meaning regardless of what perspective a person looks at it.

Email Edita at:

ebardhi@live.esu.edu