If you do one thing this week.... avoid second-hand smoke
Since the smoking ban came in, non-smokers have been spared from having to inhale second-hand tobacco smoke in many environments.
But it can still happen, particularly if you live with a smoker who lights up in the house or car.
There are good reasons to avoid second-hand smoke if you can: exposure can be linked with serious health problems, including lung disease, heart disease and cancer, explains the Mayo Clinic website (mayoclinic.com/health/second-handsmoke/CC00023).
The literature is adding more and more evidence. Just this month, a study published in the Archives of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgeryfound that second-hand smoke exposure is associated with increased risk of certain types of hearing loss in adolescents.
So if possible, encourage and support smokers to quit, or at least to refrain from lighting up indoors or in confined spaces.
