Second hand smoking an involuntary health hazard with every move every pass

Introduction: Secondhand smoke is the combination of side stream smoke (the smoke given off by a burning tobacco product) and mainstream smoke (the smoke exhaled by a smoker). Inhaling secondhand smoke irritates the airways, decreases lungs elasticity which causes cough, wheeze, choke and feel breathless and has immediate harmful effects on a person’s heart and blood vessels thus causing lung cancer, heart diseases in nonsmoking adults. Exposure to secondhand smoke in homes, cars, workplace, and public places, such as bars, restaurants, and recreational settings is an alarming hazard. Method: A comprehensive literature search was conducted through electronic medium to explore the relevant literature. Various databases i.e. Pub med, Google search engines, Science Direct, JPMA and SAGA were used. Manual search was also done by accessing articles from 2000 till 2012 in AKU periodic library. Result: Tobacco use kills more than five million people every year – more than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. If current trends continue, tobacco use could kill more than eight million people per year by 2030.It has been reported that second-hand smoke accounts for one in 10 tobacco-related deaths. At least 69 chemicals in are known to cause cancer and cardiovascular diseases. More than 7,000 chemicals that have been identified in secondhand tobacco smoke, at least 250 are known to be harmful, such as hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, and ammonia. Living with a smoker increases a nonsmoker’s chances of developing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases by 20 to 30 percent. Conclusion: Healthy living starts with healthy choices. Separating smokers from nonsmokers, cleaning the air, and ventilating buildings cannot completely eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke. Creating 100% smoke-free environments is the only way to protect people from the harmful effects of second-hand tobacco smoke. The best way to create the future is to create awareness. Keywords: Second hand smoking, Inhalation, cardiovascular disease, Respiratory disease