The Negative Effects of Second Hand Smoke to Nonsmokers
Smoking does not only cause serious health detriments to people who consume the drugs, but also the innocent bystanders that are exposed to smoke within the air: nonsmokers. Smoke that is emitted from the tips of cigarettes, cigars, and other smoking tobaccos is widely referred to as second hand smoke, or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Second hand smoke is surprisingly injurious to humans, and is classified as a known carcinogen. According to the CDC, secondhand smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, hundreds are toxic, and about 70 can cause cancer. "Since the 1964 Surgeon General’s Report, 2.5 million adults who were nonsmokers died because they breathed secondhand smoke." Additionally, the main ways the substance harms people is through the cause of cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, and SIDS, with the most vulnerable to these symptoms being those who currently suffer from respiratory disorders. It is quite scary to think that I have been exposed to this toxin commonly throughout my life and at Penn State, and yet smokers proceed to place nonsmoking individuals at risk of developing terrible diseases. All people, smokers and nonsmokers, are guaranteed to an asbestos free area, which is also titled as a known carcinogen. However, cigarettes and other smoking tobaccos are equally known carcinogens, but are not held to the same standard of regulation as asbestos. I believe that as a nonsmoking student who suffers from asthma, I should be assured the right to a non-smoking environment, and at least on campus grounds here at Penn State University. It does not matter if you breathe in a little or a lot of ETS; the second the toxin enters you're body, you instantly become prone to developing the negative health effects associated with the drug.