Health News | Outdoor Secondhand Smoke

Studies reveal the hidden dangers behind outdoor secondhand smoke exposure.

A 2006 U.S. Surgeon General's Report claims secondhand smoke kills tens of thousands of people each year, and it has long been claimed that second hand smoke can be dangerous through indoor exposure. However little is known about the risks of outdoor inhalation. Recent research from Stanford University examines how smoking can affect the quality of air at park benches, sidewalk cafes and other public places. Researchers concluded that sitting a few feet downwind of a smoker can leave someone exposed to contaminated fumes that are much more concentrated than normal air pollution levels.

To accurately quantify the level of outdoor smoke exposure, Stanford Researchers used portable electronic monitors to measure toxic airborne particles. These instruments are designed to detect a hazardous chemical known as particulate matter-2.5 (PM2.5). This toxic pollutant contains carcinogens amongst other chemicals that may contribute to chronic bronchitis, irregular heartbeats, heart attacks and an assortment of other health conditions.

The outcome of the study found that the closer you are to outdoor tobacco smoke, the higher your risk of hazardous inhalation. They found that brief exposures, multiple times over several hours in an outdoor pub, could lead to a daily average of 35 micrograms of PM2.5 exposure. If someone is in close proximity to a smoker, they could potentially inhale a breath of 1,000 micrograms, which is 50 times more concentrated than the surrounding air. Researchers warn that although outdoor secondhand smoke dissipates quickly, non-smokers should still be aware of their exposure.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• health
• news
• medical
• articles
• stories
• cardiology
• cancer
• heart
• lungs
• breast
• men
• women

[jcomd]

This is ridiculous. This is not a "study" but a propaganda piece.Inhaling 50x the particulate matter in second hand smoke SOUNDS scary but he never mentions actual morbidity or mortality figures. Using his measuring tools, he could just as well stand on a roadside and measure high numbers. Another scare tactic. Use your white matter people!

[VS120sfan]

Pure garbage!

[brbubba]

Poppycock! I like that they don't say that the study also found negligible exposure at 6 feet. And instantaneous exposure at high levels is not the same as chronic exposure all the time to outdoor pollution from cars and power plants, etc. If instantaneous exposure mattered then no one would be getting Xrays at the doctor or dentist.

[SaxonBrit]

@jcomd The general mortality count associated with active smoking and secondhand smoke I gather comes not from any real science, but rather hand picked statistics.

[SaxonBrit]

1:14 "The closer you are to the smoke, the larger amount of inhalation." WOW! What a novel finding! lmfao

[lolbuthurtmuch4]

seems like more than you have. get an education, seriously. you are so self-conscious that you actually deleted your comment in fears of being further made fun of, or you knew you were blatenly wrong. fail sir.

[nunurox]

wow you have one freind congratz

[lolbutthurtmuch]

i dont think anyone here likes you.

do yourself a favor, man and get an education. tobacco kills brah.

[StefanIsAThief]

And thus, I win.

[srsbsnsmanlulz]

actually that guy does have a point. you really did sound stupid when you said the government was lying about tobacco being dangerous.

[nunurox]

hey get out of here no one likes you

all you do is start shit with people..... go read a book or something and leave youtube for a while

and im not gonna even reply to anything you anymore

BLOCKED