Remember that study released last year that compared city pollution to the number of cigarettes smoked in a year? According to this study, living in Paris for a year is equivalent to smoking 183 cigarettes, or the equivalent of 9 packs of cigarettes. Outdoor air is highly polluted, and the risks to your health are considerable, especially if you already smoke! Smokers contribute to outdoor and indoor air pollution. In fact, tobacco smoke is the most dangerous source of pollution according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which classified it as a carcinogen in 2002.
There are two types of smoke: primary smoke, which is the smoke directly inhaled, filtered and exhaled by the smoker, and second-hand smoke. Second-hand smoke is made up of the fumes emitted directly by the cigarette, as well as the smoke exhaled by the smoker. The latter is particularly dangerous because of its concentration of toxic products, and is at the origin of what is known as passive smoking. Inhaling second-hand tobacco smoke indoors can seriously damage your health, especially if you are exposed to chronic exposure. Second-hand smoke can be more toxic than the smoke inhaled directly by smokers because it contains very high concentrations of more than 4000 chemicals (250 of which cause illness). Second-hand smoke contains three times more nicotine, three to five times more carbon monoxide, six to eight times more formaldehyde and around 40 times more ammonia than mainstream smoke. According to the IARC, the particles in second-hand smoke are smaller than those in the smoke exhaled by the smoker, so they can embed themselves and travel deeper into your lungs.
According to the American Heart Association, non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke have a 25-30% increased risk of heart disease. In addition, exposure to smoke can aggravate pre-existing hypertension. When a person inhales tobacco smoke, their heart rate increases while blood vessels contract; this causes significant stress to the heart and cardiovascular system. Smoking also thickens the blood, damages blood vessels and raises cholesterol levels. What's more, second-hand tobacco smoke can significantly increase the risk of stroke. Exposure to second-hand smoke also multiplies the risk of developing lung, bladder, pancreatic and even skin cancer.
Although second-hand smoke does not directly cause asthma, it can considerably worsen symptoms. Children are the most susceptible, as their lungs are still forming up to the age of 8. Exposure to tobacco smoke has a detrimental effect on the immune system and irritates the respiratory tract. Those regularly exposed to second-hand smoke are therefore at greater risk of developing bronchitis, ear infections, pneumonia and other upper respiratory tract infections.
Exposure to the chemicals in tobacco smoke can have consequences for pregnant women and infants: miscarriage, low birth weight, early birth, learning or behavioural disabilities and sudden infant death syndrome.
Second-hand smoke is not only dangerous for humans, but also for pets. Dogs exposed to second-hand smoke have more eye infections, allergies and respiratory problems, including lung cancer. A study conducted at Colorado State University showed that the incidence of nasal cancer was also increased in dogs living in smoking environments.
As far as possible, try not to smoke indoors, either in your home or in your car. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), smoking in the car exposes you to three times more fine-particle pollution than the standard for indoor air quality. So try smoking outside, and use a special coat or jacket to keep the toxins out of your clothes.
Some people might think that smoking near an open window or under the kitchen hood would be a possibility. Even if this is a first step, opening the window can push the smoke further into your home, and no hood is powerful enough to eliminate it. In particular, avoid smoking in a room with a closed door, as air circulates freely in the home, and second-hand smoke passes under doors, through air vents and between walls.
Despite advice on how to limit the harmful effects of tobacco smoke, people may still continue to smoke indoors, especially when the weather doesn't look good. That's why investing in an air purifier could be an appropriate choice for smokers. The air purifier will filter this polluted air continuously, getting rid of all the pollutants that could be deposited in the lungs of family members.
TEQOYA has carried out laboratory tests on cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke and its odors are eliminated much more quickly and effectively when the air purifier is plugged into the room.
But beware, having an air purifier doesn't mean it's safe to smoke in that room. The best solution is still to smoke outside! Laurent, a TEQOYA customer, wanted to make sure his air purifier was effective, so he carried out a test by putting cigarette smoke in a glass, and look what happened! :
Natural environments are rich in negative ions. This is precisely the principle on which the air ionizer is based on. However, do you know how this technology manages to capture the pollution particles contained in the indoor air to purify your home?
In December 2019, a respiratory virus of the Coronavirus family appeared in the Wuhan region of China and has now spread to all continents.
Purifying indoor air while protecting your health and the planet is possible! Say goodbye to filters and make way for negative ions: choose an eco-responsible air purifier that will easily reduce energy and resource consumption.