Smoke free zones
25 August 2007
As of July 1st 2007, all enclosed public spaces in England became smoke free zones. The Government has estimated that 600,000 people will quit smoking as a result of the ban – that’s 600,000 lives that will be saved!
The smoking ban will bring us one step closer to a healthier England. 75% of this country does not smoke, however, second hand smoke, the fumes given off from a burning cigarette, can be just as harmful as actually smoking!
Second hand smoke is involuntarily inhaled by non-smokers, it will linger in the air hours after a cigarette has been extinguished, and is known to cause cancer. 85% of second hand smoke is invisible and odourless, and frighteningly, second hand smoke can increase the likelihood of a non-smoker developing heart disease by 25% or lung cancer by 24%.
Scientific research has proven that second hand smoke contains more than 50 substances, known to cause cancer in humans.
Some substances found in cigarette smoke are:
- Tar which is known to cause cancer and lung damage
- Carbon monoxide which is a toxic gas found in car exhaust fumes
- Benzene which is found in petrol fumes and causes leukemia
- Ethanol which is found in anti-freeze
- Formaldehyde which is an embalming fluid
- Hydrogen cyanide which is classed as an industrial pollutant
- Arsenic which is effectively rat poison
- Polycyclic, an aromatic hydrocarbon which is found in diesel exhaust
- Methanol - Rocket fuel
- Titanium, a metal used to make aeroplanes
- Cadmium found in batteries
Second hand smoke is made up of both side stream smoke from the burning tip of a cigarette and mainstream smoke exhaled by the smoker.
It can cause a variety of serious health conditions, including respiratory disease and cot death in children.
Smoking Myths - things you need to know:
Most men smoke
No they don't, the majority of UK men alive today have never smoked and many are ex smokers. 50 years ago 3 out of 4 men smoked, today just over 1 in every 4 men smokes.
I'm a young healthy bloke and I only smoke about 15 a day - where's the harm in that?
Every puff of a cigarette contains over 4,000 chemicals including tar (as in roads), nicotine, carbon monoxide (as in exhaust fumes), ammonia (floor cleaner), arsenic (rat poison), formaldehyde (preserving fluid) and butane (gas lighter). Nicotine is the addictive drug in tobacco, It is now known that it is more addictive than cocaine, heroin or alcohol.
Tar coats lungs like the roads, inflames the small air sacs, causes mucous which eventually causes bronchitis and emphysema. Carbon monoxide robs the brain, heart and muscles of oxygen. It thickens the blood and this can cause heart attacks, strokes and blood clots. 3 out of 4 heart attacks in younger men are due to smoking
I've got a really stressful job, smoking help me relax.
Smoking, in fact does the opposite. Smoking increases the stress level of the body because it raises the blood pressure and heart rate
Stopping smoking is impossible! I've only ever managed to stop for a couple of days.
It's not easy but 11 million ex smokers in the UK prove it is possible. Most people make several quit attempts before they finally give up. Look back on your past quit attempts and what worked, set up coping strategies to deal with the difficult times, get support from others, see yourself as a non smoker, set a quit date and clear put all the reminders of your smoking. Think about using nicotine replacement therapy (patches, inhalers, sprays, tablets). These help you overcome the nicotine withdrawal systems and are available on prescription from your Doctor.
My partner is pregnant, I want her to stop but I don't need to.
The unborn baby is at risk if the mother is exposed to the chemicals in second hand smoke from your cigarette. This increases the risk of miscarriage, still birth and low weight babies.
Information taken from www.smokefreeengland.co.uk