In Germany, about 28% of the adult population (aged 15 years and older) smoke, the equivalent of about 20 million people. That is about a quarter of the population. The vast majority do not smoke. Nevertheless, many are exposed – often involuntarily – to the smoke of others; because they smoke passively. Burning a cigarette produces about 2 liters of smoke, which the smokers themselves inhale least of all. This smoke is not harmless.
The composition of cigarette smoke
Cigarette smoke is a chemical cocktail of about 4,000 different substances, more than 40 of which have a carcinogenic or toxic effect. Cigarette smoke contains, among other substances, tar:
- The poison arsenic
- The heavy metal lead
- The exhaust gas carbon monoxide
- The formaldehyde also used in the furniture industry
These substances are not only absorbed by smokers. Due to the low combustion temperatures at the edge of a smoldering cigarette – the so-called sidestream smoke – harmful substances are produced in the ambient air to an even greater extent than in the smoke that is inhaled directly through the cigarette – the mainstream smoke. In passive smoking, for example, just as much of the toxic nitrogen oxides and formaldehyde is inhaled as by the smokers themselves. The concentration of the carcinogenic substances benzene and nickel is even up to 10 and 30 times higher, respectively, in sidestream smoke than in mainstream smoke.
Immediate consequences of smoke
The immediate consequences of cigarette smoke are common:
- Odor nuisance
- Eye burning
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, respectively.
- Headache
- Dizziness
In addition, passive smoking can lead to increased susceptibility to infection. In the long term, the development of heart disease (coronary heart disease) and lung cancer is also not excluded. It is estimated that at least 400 people die each year in Germany from lung cancer caused by passive smoking. Since 1998, therefore, tobacco smoke in indoor air has been classified as carcinogenic.
Secondhand smoke harms children for life
Secondhand smoke is particularly harmful to the respiratory tract of children and infants. The more cigarettes smoked in their environment, the more likely they are to contract bronchitis and pneumonia. Their lung function is impaired and asthmatic complaints can be the result. Every second child in Germany lives in a smoker household. Every fifth child is already at risk from tobacco smoke in the womb. Children seek and need the proximity of adults, and are therefore defenceless against the harmful substances of tobacco smoke. It is important that, as far as possible, all places where children frequently spend time become smoke-free. This includes, above all, public facilities such as kindergartens, schools and sports facilities.
Health consequences for children
Health risks to children from secondhand smoke range from general health disorders such as stomach aches and headaches, to behavioral problems, learning disabilities, reduced physical performance, and impaired lung function, which can have negative effects throughout the child’s lifespan. Children can develop middle ear infections, respiratory diseases, asthma, lung cancer, and heart disease – meningitis and brain tumors are also suspected to result from tobacco smoke.
Smoking during pregnancy
Smoking rates among women of childbearing age are particularly high – 40% of 20- to 39-year-old women in Germany smoke. The health risk to their children is serious. Every year, 154,000 unborn children are already exposed to smoke pollutants in the womb, which they absorb through the bloodstream of their smoking mothers. The proportion of premature births and miscarriages among smokers has been shown to be higher than among non-smokers. Babies born to smoking mothers have a smaller body size at birth and a lower birth weight by an average of 200 grams. Only one-third of smokers stop smoking during pregnancy. After birth, two-thirds of these start smoking again in the first few months after birth.
Smoking as number one killer
Smoking remains the high health risk and leading cause of premature mortality. That’s how harmful cigarettes are:
- Already smoking one to ten cigarettes a day, the risk of lung cancer is ten times higher compared to non-smokers.
- Smokers are also more at risk of developing hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and suffering a heart attack or stroke.
- Tobacco dependence can develop even after short-term irregular smoking, even in childhood and adolescence.
- Half of all lifelong smokers die as a result of tobacco use.
- Each cigarette shortens life by five minutes. On average, a smoker loses about eight years of life.
