�Passive Smoking' or �Secondhand Smoke' Equally Dangerous as Smoking

Over a thousand million people are addicted to tobacco. Teenagers and women are getting addicted to smoking tobacco at a greater rate in developing countries as compared to developed countries.

But at the same time, they intend to quit but are unable to do so. Many have chosen passive smoking in order to avoid direct smoking.

Passive smoking also called as Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) or Secondhand Smoke (SHS) is inhalation of smoke produced by burning tobacco by others.

Many scientific studies have proven that passive smoking can cause dangerous diseases, disabilities that eventually lead to death. Occasional exposure to ETS can cause health hazard over a period of time.

For people who recently quit smoking, passive smoking is an alternative to kill their urge for smoking.

Doctors claim that passive smoking is as dangerous as active smoking depending on the exposure to passive smoke. It increases the chance of cancer at the same rate what active smoking does.

According to a study, spouses of non-smokers are at 16 percent increased risk of lung cancer. Secondhand smoke causes same problems as active smoking like bronchitis, chronic obstructive airway disease, heart diseases, oral cancer, pregnancy related problems like IUGR (Intra uterine growth retardation).

Source: Medindia