JANUARY, 2019 | Th e HEALTH
ISSUE: SMOKING
09
09
CREATIVE COMMONS
CLEAN AIR,
OUR RIGHT
Research shows air pollution emitted by cigarettes
is 10 times greater than diesel car exhaust
BY HUANG RUIFU
W
E ALL need clean air to live
healthy and enriching lives. All
too often, this fundamental
right seems too obvious in our
ever increasingly urbanised
world. Since we spend so much
time indoors, the question of
clean air is even more important whether that be in our
homes, offi ces, schools, health centres and wherever we
go. And many of us take clean air – or the lack of it – for
granted. However, in recent years, with the almost
seasonal haze blanketing us and disrupting our lives,
clear air is certainly a commodity we have obviously
learned to treasure.
Whenever we talk about air pollution, we all tend
to point our fingers at industry, traffic and open
burning, among others, as the chief culprits. But if
we really analyse the air we breathe, it is fairly obvi-
ous that smoking pollutes the air and quite often the
ground too. However, it is not always obvious how or
how much smoking pollutes.
How smoking harms environment
It is a common misconception among cigarette smokers
that they are hurting only themselves. Th e truth is they
are not hurting only themselves, but also the earth, and
everybody and everything on it, in our generation, and
the generations to come.
Studies show that cigarettes contain over 4,000
chemicals which are exhaled and released into the air.
Research shows air pollution emitted by cigarettes is 10
times greater than diesel car exhaust. Environmental
tobacco smoke produces fi ne particulate matter, which
is the most dangerous element of air pollution for
health.
Trees are often compared to the lungs in our bodies
because they perform basically the same functions as
our lungs do, albeit on a global scale. With all the pollut-
ants that trees already fi lter out for us, it is illogical for
any of us to add more to the air that doesn’t need to be
added. We need to breathe, but no one needs to smoke.
While the problem is invisible to us, the fact is that
fi ne dust or particulate matter (PM) ranging from
10µm (PM10) to as tiny as 2.5µm (PM2.5) can cause
serious lung and heart health problems. Th e World
Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that two million
people die every year from small particulate matter in
the air. Other health problems are coming to light. For
instance, a recent study showed a correlation between
higher levels of particulate air pollution and higher
numbers of babies born with low birth weights.
Second-hand smoke
Th anks to the aggressive anti-smoking campaigns car-
ried out by the public and private sectors, people living
in Malaysia have become more and more educated on
the various forms of heart disease, lung disease and can-
cers caused by smoking. It is also common knowledge
that smoking causes discoloration of fi ngernails and
teeth as well as other cosmetically damaging eff ects.
However, one of the most overlooked issues in the
whole equation is the deadly eff ects of second-hand
smoke. According Article 8 of the WHO Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control, an international
health treaty signed and ratifi ed by Malaysia, scientifi c
evidence has unequivocally established that exposure
to tobacco smoke causes death, disease and disability.
It says parties should adopt and implement measures
providing for protection from exposure to tobacco
smoke in indoor workplaces, public transport, indoor
public places and, as appropriate, other public places.
Th e WHO guidelines state there is no safe level of
exposure to second-hand smoke, which contributes to
a range of serious and often fatal diseases, including
heart disease, respiratory illness, and lung and other
cancers. Completely smoke-free environments with no
exceptions are the only proven way to protect people
from second-hand smoke.
It is interesting to note that the WHO guidelines
stipulate that separate smoking rooms and ventilation
systems do not prevent second-hand smoke exposure.
Governments are expected to maintain strong support
for laws once they are enacted through proactive and
uniform enforcement that achieves high compliance
levels.
Besides the WHO strongly-worded guidelines on
second-hand smoke, various studies have also con-
fi rmed that second-hand smoke contains carcinogens,
toxic metals and poisonous gases. Special scans carried
out by some studies have revealed the deadly eff ects
of second-hand smoke. Researchers have shown by
using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that long-
term exposure to second-hand smoke can be a killer.
Th e MRI scan used was a special type which uses
colours to show damaged and undamaged areas of the
lung. For instance, researchers from the Department
of Radiology at the Children’s Hospital in Philadel-
phia, United States, showed that long-term exposure
to second-hand smoke causes structural damage to
the lungs that signifi cantly increases the risk of lung
cancer and emphysema. Emphysema is a lung disease
where the alveoli collapse making it very diffi cult for
enough oxygen to get into the bloodstream and to
remove waste carbon dioxide from the bloodstream. It
is common amongst smokers and a major killer in many
countries where smoking is prevalent.
Impact on babies, children
Babies of expectant mothers and newborn children
exposed to second-hand smoke are more prone to
sudden infant death syndrome. Smoking by parents
causes respiratory symptoms and slows lung growth
Trees are often
compared to the
lungs in our bodies
because they
perform basically
the same functions
as our lungs do,
albeit on a global
scale. With all the
pollutants that trees
already fi lter out
for us, it is illogical
for any of us to add
more to the air that
doesn’t need to be
added. We need to
breathe, but no one
needs to smoke.”
in their children, adds the report.
Every exposure to the cancer-causing chemicals in
tobacco smoke can cause grave diseases, and children
are particularly vulnerable. WHO studies also found
that young children who are exposed to second-hand
smoke at home are twice as likely to start smoking as
those who are not exposed. Also children who have
been aff ected by second-hand smoking are more likely
to have positive thoughts about the smoking habit.
In view of the deadly eff ects of smoking and second-
hand smoke, it is obvious that we all need to work
together to restore our fundamental right to clean air,
and Health+ fully supports any eff ort towards a cleaner
and healthier environment. – Th e Health