Exposure to Second Hand Smoke among Leading Causes of Lung Cancer in India
Author(s): City Air NewsNew Delhi, December 3, 2015: Madhu (name changed), 66, had never touched a cigarette in life, was much active for her age, maintained a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise and had her weight and Body Mass Index...
cityairnews
Dec 3, 2015 10:30
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New Delhi, December 3, 2015: Madhu (name changed), 66, had never touched a cigarette in life, was much active for her age, maintained a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise and had her weight and Body Mass Index in perfect control. She and her family were understandably shaken when she was diagnosed with lung cancer. It was discovered that her husband was a chain smoker and this had exposed Madhu to second hand smoke for more than 4 decades of her life.
Even as the chances of survival of the elderly lady seem bleak, her husband now blames himself for putting his wife at a risk of this deadly disease.
Dr. K Kalaichelvi, Prof and Head, Department of Medical Oncology, Madras Medical College & Rajiv Gandhi Govt. General Hospital, Chennai says Madhu is unfortunately not a one-off case of a clear link between exposure to second hand smoke and lung cancer.
“In recent years, we have witnessed many such cases, where the patient was a never smoker and yet acquired lung cancer. Exposure to smoke remains the leading cause of lung cancer in India and across the world. In fact, both first hand and second hand smoke together account for causes of as many as 90% of the detected lung cancer cases. Among them passive smokers or non-smokers exposed to second hand smoke are the most unfortunate lot since they suffer not for their own but another person’s fault. In most cases, this person is a near and dear one,” says Dr Kalaichelvi.
Lung cancer is among the top five cancers prevalent in both men and women across the world. It is also among the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide. World Health Organization attributes 1.59 million deaths every year globally to lung cancer. In India, an estimated 63,000 new lung cancer cases are reported annually with a slim 5 year survival rate of 10-15 %. Lung cancer causes an estimated 6.8 deaths per 1000 population in India.
Tobacco smoke is a dangerous mix of gases, chemicals and particles. It contains more than 7,000 chemical compounds with at least 69 known to cause cancer, according to American Cancer Society.
“While cigarette, pipe or cigar smokers put themselves at a very high risk of lung cancer, it is not just their own selves they endanger. It is found that 66% of the smoke from a cigarette is not inhaled by the smoker, but enters the air around it. This makes the air containing exhaled smoke as devastating as smoking itself. In fact, in some ways passive smoking is more harmful than direct smoking since second hand smoke has five times the amount of carbon monoxide inhaled by the smoker. It also contains hydrogen cyanide, nitrogen dioxide and a higher amount of nicotine and tar,” says Dr Kalaichelvi.
Second hand smoke or the smoke inhaled by a non-smoker inadvertently from his/her surroundings is basically environmental tobacco smoke which constitutes two streams. First is the mainstream smoke or the smoke exhaled by the person smoking a cigarette. The other form is sidestream smoke that emanates from the lighted end of a cigarette or cigar. The latter is more toxic and has higher concentration of carcinogens, according to American Cancer Society. The particles constituting sidestream smoke are also smaller compared to mainstream smoke and can easily make way into the lungs.
With the rightful imposition of a ban on smoking in public places, unintentional exposure to smoke has reduced in India. However, most smokers continue to smoke in homes and private spaces, constantly endangering their own selves as also some of their dear ones.
“Unfortunately, a large number of people in India’s especially women and children are exposed to second hand smoke. In many cases, children are exposed to smoke in homes where one or both parents smoke. Smoking, exposure to second hand tobacco, and air pollution together make for a dangerous mix of risk factors for the Indian population. Because of the interactions between exposures, the combined attributable risk for lung cancer becomes considerably high,” adds Dr Kalaichelvi.
Why you need to quit smoking or refrain from it from a young age:
• The longer you smoke, the more prone you are to lung cancer. At the same time, stopping smoking immediately reduces your risk. The sooner you quit the better. So, if you quit after 10 years of smoking, you will reduce your risk as compared to a person who has been smoking for 20 years.
• Most children learn from their environment. For a child who constantly sees his/her parent smoke is more likely to take up the habit earlier. Do not set a bad example for your children. It is pertinent to note that starting smoking at a younger age is even more harmful than starting as an adult as it compounds the duration of your exposure to smoke.
• Passive smoking increases the risk of lung cancer. By smoking in the presence of your dear ones you are endangering their lives, not to mention your own.
Date:
Thursday, December 3, 2015
