Curated by Luigi Ferritto (1), Walter Ferritto (2) |
What is passive smoking?
The World Health Organization (WHO) places the fight against passive smoking at the forefront, therefore the defense of non-smokers against the harmfulness of tobacco smoke. A battle that must involve legislators, educators, health care professionals and people with common sense.
The "passive" smoke is that which is involuntarily inhaled by people who are in contact with one or more "active" smokers and is the main pollutant in closed environments. Passive smoking is the result of the smoke expired by the active smoker (tertiary current), added to the smoke produced by the slow and imperfect combustion (400-500 ° C) of the cigarette left to burn in the ashtray or in the hand between one shot and another ( secondary current). It is accepted that passive smoking is constituted for 6/7 by the secondary current and 1/7 by the tertiary current (smoke expired by the smoker).
Passive smoking is considered to be side smoke, to distinguish it from the central smoke, which instead represents active smoke. It should however be remembered that the side smoke, being diluted in the ambient air compared to the central, has a lower impact on the non-smoker.
Passive smoking is an ubiquitous problem, as it affects people of every culture and country. This exhibition takes place daily in vital conditions: at home, at work, on public transport, in restaurants, in bars; practically in every place where there are people. It is estimated that 79% of Europeans over the age of 15 are exposed to passive smoking.
In Italy the recent law banning smoking in public places was a great test of civilization, which we hope will infect even those countries that have not yet taken a similar decision.
Because it hurts
The extent of exposure to passive smoke depends on some variables such as the number of cigarettes smoked, the size of the environment where one smokes, the level of tar, the duration of exposure and the ventilation of the environment.
Diseases associated with passive smoking
Most studies of passive smoking have focused on respiratory damage to children. In fact, when children are exposed to passive smoking, the problem is charged with much more special values. In fact, as in this situation the wording of passive smoke = involuntary smoke seems never correct. It is clear that children are much more defenseless with regard to passive smoking, also because they are not always free to leave a polluted room or self-sufficient to do it alone.
Even in non-smoking adults recent studies have shown an increased risk of asthma, chronic bronchitis, pulmonary emphysema and, above all, the incidence of tumors.
If from the personal point of view passive smoking is ultimately a matter of "respect" of the non-smoker, from the social point of view it becomes a question of "right", because the freedom of the individual ends where the freedom of others begins. The protection of non-smokers from passive smoking, therefore, is an indispensable public health action, essential for the health of future generations.
For correspondence: Dott. Luigi Ferritto
Department of Internal Medicine Respiratory Physiopathology Unit "Athena" Villa dei Pini
Piedimonte Matese (CE)
