It is said that foreign studies have proved that in a family, the husband smokes, the wife does not smoke, and the wife's chance of getting lung cancer is 1-3 times higher than that of the husband. So people who don't smoke suffer more than smokers – people might as well smoke. Is this really the case?
Rumor: Secondhand smoke is more harmful than first-hand smoke. It is said that foreign studies have proved that in a family, the husband smokes, the wife does not smoke, and the wife's chance of getting lung cancer is 1-3 times higher than that of the husband. So people who don't smoke suffer more than smokers – people might as well smoke.
Better to just smoke a cigarette?
The Fact: The International Agency for Research on Cancer divides cigarette smoke into two categories: "mainstream" and "tributary". Mainstream smoke refers to the smoke drawn from the filter tip of a cigarette, and tributary smoke is the smoke produced by smoldering tobacco. [1] The combustion of tributary smoke is lower than that of mainstream smoke, and the proportion of carcinogen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons produced by incomplete combustion is indeed higher. But does this mean that tributary smoke must be more harmful to the human body?
At present, the academic community mainly uses animal models to study the carcinogenic effects of smoke. Up to now, some researchers have found that under the premise of the same total particulate matter, the health indicators of mice in tributary smoke are more affected [2], and some researchers believe that the incidence of lung cancer in rats exposed to mainstream smoke is significantly higher. higher, but the experimental results in rabbits and dogs were not significantly different [3][4]. In short, on the issue of "carcinogenicity", which cigarette is more effective, there is no conclusion. However, the premise of the above test is "the same smoke concentration".
In real life, the concentration of tributary smoke decreases with distance. Generally, the smoke concentration around non-smokers will always be relatively low. In addition, smokers inhale both mainstream and tributary smoke. And social habits make it easier for smokers to congregate, causing them to inhale more tributary smoke. Judging from the current human epidemiological research data, there is not enough data to show that "in a family, if the husband smokes and the wife does not smoke, the wife's chance of developing lung cancer is 1-3 times higher than that of the husband."
Conclusion
Rumors dispelled. There is no evidence that non-smokers are at greater risk to their health than smokers.
References:
[1] Direct Exposure in Experimental Settings
[2] Tob Control. 2005 December; 14(6): 396–404.
[3] Toxicology of Secondhand Smoke
[4] Tobacco Smoke and Involuntary Smoking
[5] 10 facts on second-hand smoke
[6] Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke
[1] Direct Exposure in Experimental Settings
[2] Tob Control. 2005 December; 14(6): 396–404.
[3] Toxicology of Secondhand Smoke
[4] Tobacco Smoke and Involuntary Smoking
[5] 10 facts on second-hand smoke
[6] Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke