Fact: smoke is dangerous to your health. Did you read that correctly? We all know that smoking is dangerous, but any form of smoke if inhaled can cause a wide range of health related issues, many of which are extremely serious.
However, part of the problem is that there can be various sources of smoke that can be overlooked and considered less serious when compared to the known dangers inherent in smoking tobacco.
Tobacco smoking is the most obvious source of pollution, releasing four thousand different chemicals into the air, over forty of which are known to cause cancer. Breathing this smoke in directly as a smoker is clearly dangerous, but much of the smoke produced by a cigarette ends up in the air. Unless you have chosen to live in an open barn, the chances are high that this smoke will linger and spread throughout your home.
The kitchen probably generates more smoke than any other room in the house. And this fact is often overlooked because people assume that since the food is safe, any smoke generated as a result of the cooking process must be relatively harmless. In some cases, it may even smell quite good! However, the fact remains that even cooking related smoke is dangerous to your health.
Who doesn't love a beautiful fireplace in the living room, or even in the bedroom? And although they are very attractive and can make an attractive focal point around which the family can gather, it often allows smoke to escape into the room. Although a small amount might do you no real harm, if used regularly, the smoke can easily be cancer inducing.
Brush fires and wildfires can generate a tremendous amount of smoke that is hard to keep out of your home even with windows and doors closed. And because the fire and smoke can be present for days and even weeks this creates a tremendous threat to your health, and healthy indoor air quality.
Although other causes of smoke can be present, such as lighting incense sticks or candles, the amount of smoke produced is relatively small. However, the smell of the smoke from an incense stick might be so attractive that it is tempting to breathe, but this too can cause considerable harm to one's lungs and respiratory system. So what are the main risks and dangers that can result from smoke? Here are the top five reasons why smoke is dangerous to your health.
1. Is Carcinogenic It is a well-established fact that cigarettes cause cancer. However, primarily it is the smoke that is produced that carries the deadly cocktail of toxins and poisons, and it is rarely just the smoker who ends up breathing this in. Smoke tends to remain in the air, and has the ability to wisp through cracks and escape into neighboring rooms.
Passive smoking or secondary smoking is when this smoke is breathed in by other people besides the smoker. In the home, this can include family, children and even pets. All of them become vulnerable, and their chances of contracting some form of cancer are increased significantly as a result.
2. Aggravates Asthma and Other Respiratory Illnesses Any form of smoke has the tendency to encourage asthmatic problems. In many cases, smoke has been directly attributed to causing asthmatic conditions to appear in the first place, but for most people with asthma smoke can easily be a primary trigger. Children are particularly.
3. Can Cause Heart Disease Breathing any form of smoke carries with it a substantial degree of risk of causing heart disease and circulatory problems. Again, it is a well-established fact that smokers are very much more likely to suffer from heart related problems as a direct result of their habit.
4. Weakens the Immune System Smoke lowers the body's natural ability to defend itself from infection. This tends to mean that those people exposed to smoke are more likely to suffer from illnesses such as bronchitis, pneumonia and general coughs, colds and flu.
5. Increase the Chance of SIDS Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is several times more likely to occur in homes which tend to be smoky. One of the best ways to eliminate smoke and avoid the health problems it can cause is to use a high efficiency particle arresting (HEPA) air purifier to eliminate the gases and particulates that result from smoke.
Author Resource:-
An excellent HEPA air purifier to remove smoke from the air in your home or office is offered by PurerAir.com-- the Smoke Air Purifier. See it now at http://purerair.com/smoke_air_purifier.html Debbie Davis, President, PurerAir.com