Question:
Does the internet really know what its talking about?
Both my parents smoke in the house, internet says the person breathing in the smokers smoke is more at risk of getting sick, because you're breathing in the smoke from the cigarette and then you're also breathing in the smoke the smoker is exhaling, what doesn't make sense is wouldn't the smoker be more at risk then me especially if its BOTH my parents smoking around eachother because they're both breathing in eachothers smoke.
I mean I go in my room to get away from it as much as I can, so how can I possibly be more at risk of getting lung cancer then them?
please helppp.

My Answer:
I afraid that I will have to challenge user WittyUsernameHere's statement below, and therefore "burst your bubbles" (my apology), because there are two sides of the story on this whole secondhand smoke business.

Well, how should I start? Let's begin on how secondhand smoke is theoretically (emphasize on theoretically) more harmful, first, shall we? We'll move on to why it's only on theory later, though here's something to look forward to: According to EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency), for every one non-smoker who died due to secondhand smoke, eight smokers died due to firsthand smoking.


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All right, first stop: Secondhand smoke is more dangerous, theoretically.

There are two types of smokes that the secondhand smokers are inhaling: mainstream smoke and sidestream smoke.

---Mainstream smoke: The firsthand smoker inhale about 15% (yes, only 15%) of this "addicting stuffs," filters it throughout his or her body, then exhale it into the air. There you go; this is mainstream smoke: Smoke that went through the firsthand smoker's "filter system" (let's call it that just for the fun of it).

---Sidestream smoke: This is the smoke that come right off the cigarette (or whatever he or she is smoking). This is unfiltered, which means it contains much higher concentration of the cigarette's harmful substances than in mainstream smoke.

As a secondhand smoker, you, heh, take both mainstream smoke and sidestream smoke into your body. Once again, the secondhand smoker is taking BOTH mainstream AND sidestream smokes into his or her body. In other words, the firsthand smoker is taking a lower dose of the poison (15%) and let the secondhand smoker "enjoy" the rest.

This is why many believe that secondhand smoking is more harmful. Can we blame them? No, not really. They have a solid point there, and it is true as well.


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Okay, now with the theory aside, let's move on to some real-life stuffs.

According to EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency), for every one non-smoker who died due to secondhand smoke, eight smokers died due to firsthand smoking. This means firsthand smoking is still more harmful, despite the scientific proven facts above about how secondhand smoking is more dangerous.

Let's go back to the story about how the smoker only inhale about 15% of the smoke. Well, the other 85% becomes spread out once they hits the air--the substances are still there, maybe mixed with some other chemicals (who knows what on earth is available in your house). Although that means it is no longer as concentrated as it was, it still remains in the air. The 85% is still there, just more spread out and maybe mixed, that is all.

And when you walk by it, you inhales some of it--but not all, most likely not all of it because you aren't just going to stand there and sniff it, unless you two are in a closed and small environment for long period of time. Since none of us here know how your house is set up and how often your parents are smoking, use your own judgement on this: How much are you inhaling? For all we know, you might actually be just inhaling just as much cigarette smoke as them, if you live in an enclosed environment and they smoke a lot in the house, while you rarely leave the house and often stay within their smoking area.


Here's a tip: If you find yourself or if your friend thinks that you smell like a smoker, you probably are around smokes too much. Anyhow, more or less, secondhand smoking hurts, regardless of the amount. Sure, you might not have cancer, but the damage is still done to your body, which could potentially cause something like respiratory problems, heart disease complications, etc., etc.


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Further readings:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
--Surgeon General Report: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/2006/index.htm
--Health Effect of ETS: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/health_effects/index.htm
--ETS Fact sheet: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/index.htm

Americans for Non-Smoker Rights, ETS Fact Sheet
http://www.no-smoke.org/document.php?id=215

US Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/smokefree/pubs/strsfs.html

University of Minnesota, Division of Periodontology
http://www1.umn.edu/perio/tobacco/secondhandsmoke.html

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