You may want to hold your breath. No, not because there is flatulence around you (although there may be.) Prior studies have shown that smoke from people smoking around you (otherwise known as secondhand smoke) can lead to many of the same medical problems that smokers face, such as lung cancer and heart disease. Now a recent study published in Childhood Obesity suggests that secondhand smoke exposure can be associated with obesity and impaired thinking in 7-to-11-year-old children. And another recent study published in Tobacco Control identified potential secondhand smoke health risks among hookah bar employees. So, aside from not having your 7-year-old work in a hookah bar, what does this mean?
The first study conducted by a research team led by Catherine L. Davis at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University found that in a sample of 220 overweight or obese girls and boys ranging from 7 to 11 years old, exposure to tobacco smoke was associated with higher weight, bigger bellies and more fat. Children exposed to smoke also scored worse on cognitive tests. The study determined secondhand smoke exposure both from questioning parents and measures how much cotinine, a major nicotine metabolite, was in the children's blood. The researchers did find some discrepancy between what parents reported and cotinine levels. In some cases, parents reported no smoking in the house, yet the cotinine levels showed that their children were being exposed to smoke. Also 18 children had no blood cotinine level evidence of smoke exposure even though the parents reported a smoker int the house.
The second study collected air samples and conducted a variety of tests on 10 workers in hookah bars in New York City. During each worker's shift, the team, which included lead author Sherry Zhou from the University of Michigan and corresponding author Terry Gordon from New York University School of Medicine, measured fine particulate matter (PM2.5), fine black carbon (BC2.5), carbon monoxide (CO) and nicotine in the air. After each worker's shift, they found that the workers had elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines in their blood and more CO in the air that they exhaled.
These studies add to an increasing body of evidence is showing that smoking is not just harmful to smokers but also to those around smokers. This is not surprising if you look at the chemicals that can be in secondhand smoke such as cyanide, ammonia, lead and carbon monoxide. The next time you are breathing near a smoker, imagine yourself putting your mouth around a car tail pipe or a bottle of Mr. Clean. Aside from leading to lung disease and cancer and heart disease in adults, secondhand smoke can increase the risk of low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and infections among children.
What can you do about secondhand smoke ? If you are a parent and a smoker, think about the harm that you may be doing to your kids. If you are a kid and your parents smoke, consider asking them to quit smoking otherwise you may have to wear a gas mask or run away from home. (Note: In general, this author does not advocate children running away from home.) If you are a kid and work in hookah bar, what are you doing? If you are an adult and work in hookah bar, be more aware of the risks of secondhand smoke. You are, after all, working in a hookah bar. If you are not a smoker and not a hookah bar employee, consider encouraging everyone around you to not smoke or campaigning for smoke-free environments and regulations. (This may be tougher if you work in a hookah bar. "Welcome to Harry's Hookah bar, please don't smoke.") The other option is to hold your breath constantly, which also has its risks.
