Smoking is has many dangerous side effects. Among the many side effects that smoking cigarettes and other tobacco products have are cancer, heart disease and lung disease. The harmful effects of smoking can be seen commonly in the respiratory and circulatory systems of our body.

Not only is the smoker the only one at risk of the harmful effects of smoking but also those non-smokers who are in close proximity to the smoker. This is because of what some people call second hand smoke or environmental tobacco smoke.

What is Second Hand Smoke?

Second hand smoke is the ambient smoke which is exhaled by smokers and left in the room or atmosphere close to the smoker. Those around the smoker can not help but inhale this. Passive smoking also holds harmful effects of smoking for those who do not smoke.

The harmful effects of smoking through second hand smoke are relatively less than actually smoking a cigarette especially if the exposure is inconsistent and infrequent. The question now is what happens if the smoker frequently smokes indoors where the smoke can be trapped in a room and free to be inhaled by those in the same room?

This scenario happens frequently for those whose family has a smoker who smokes in their presence. The harmful effects of smoking will manifest themselves in the non-smokers due to frequent exposure to second hand smoke.

Children are highly vulnerable to the harmful effects of smoking through second hand smoke. This is because of their still developing bodies and their faster heart rate compared to adults. Many children and adults as well, with smokers in their families, develop cancers and other related diseases such as heart disease and lung disease. Not all the harmful effects of smoking through second hand smoke manifest themselves. This is due mainly to inconsistent exposure to it.

Some work areas discourage smoking during working in enclosed rooms and those areas or rooms that are not well ventilated. Many establishments have realized the harmful effects of smoking via passive smoking and are quite strict in their implementation that smokers use cigarettes and other tobacco products outdoors instead of indoors.

This will lessen the risk of other workers inhaling environmental tobacco smoke.

In spite of the not so great risk of second hand smoke, with the right conditions there is still a risk. Smoking is one of the leading causes of death that can be avoided.