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Federal Minister of Health Lauterbach is planning a ban on smoking in cars if minors and pregnant women are also sitting in them. Several studies show how harmful passive smoking is, especially for children.
By Katharina Ditschke, SWR
Tobacco smoke is the most dangerous preventable indoor pollutant. It is harmful to everyone who breathes it in – also and especially passively.
The smoke that develops between puffs on a cigarette and that we inhale as passive smokers is called sidestream smoke. According to the German Cancer Research Center, this accounts for 85 percent.
And: It contains the same toxins as a cigarette, sometimes even in significantly higher concentrations. Experts speak of a concentration that is more than ten times higher. Sidestream smoke is therefore particularly toxic.
Toxins enter the ramifications of the pulmonary system
Toxic substances from tobacco smoke enter the body through inhalation. So-called respirable particles penetrate deep into the fine ramifications of the pulmonary system. Of the more than 5,000 chemical substances in cigarettes, over 70 have been proven to be carcinogenic.
A meta-analysis evaluating 40 studies found that people who have never smoked but are exposed to secondhand smoke have a 16 percent higher risk of developing cancer. It turned out that women are particularly affected. In women, even lower amounts of tobacco are sufficient to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Particularly great effect in the car
The effect of passive smoking in the car is intensified. Because the tobacco smoke is particularly concentrated there. Passive smoking is pure poison for unborn babies and children.
If an expectant mother smokes, the toxins are passed on to the unborn child via the umbilical cord. This can increase the risk of premature birth or miscarriage. In addition, the lungs or other organs of the child can be permanently damaged.
Children breathe more air than adults
Studies also show the extensive consequences that second-hand smoke can have on children. Because children breathe in more air in relation to their body weight than adults. Because their organs are still developing, their body has a harder time breaking down toxins. The result is that the risk of respiratory problems, asthma and other serious diseases increases over the course of life.
2023-07-08 08:16:23
#smoking #car #harmful #children
