Research has found several negative effects that arise out of smoking and being around smokers, ranging from respiratory problems, cardiac problems, and other health issues. Recent research has found that passive smokers, who are around a person who smokes and inhale second-hand smoke, can suffer from hearing loss.
Passive smoking has a host of physiological problems for those who are subjected to cigarette smoke, despite not being smokers themselves. These health issues include ear, lung, and throat infections, bacterial meningitis, asthma, and shockingly, even sudden infant death syndrome! Passive smoking results in as much as 165,000 fresh cases of illness amongst young children each year.
These severe downsides of second-hand smoke are reason enough to quit smoking. In case further motivation was needed, recent research suggests that mothers who smoke during pregnancy and around their young children have higher chances of having hearing-impaired children.
Those who spend time around smokers have a 26% increased likelihood of developing hearing loss. If the child is four years old or younger, this likelihood increases to a dangerous 30%. Mothers who smoke during pregnancy put their in-utero baby at a whopping 68% likelihood of being born with hearing loss.
Smoking not only affects your own health, it also clearly affects the health of your loved ones. Find effective ways of limiting the negative effects of second-hand smoke by taking steps to limit your exposure to your family when you are smoking. You can do this by leaving the house when you feel the urge to smoke, although the most obviously effective method would be to stop smoking altogether!
We experience our world through our sense of sight and sound. Imagine a world that is mute and silent, only because of exposure to second-hand cigarette smoke. This is the type of world we may end up giving our loved ones if we are not careful about our daily habits such as smoking. Hearing loss is a permanent condition and once it is lost, it is lost forever. Hearing aids cannot restore one’s hearing, although it can help a person hear amplified sounds. We can help our loved ones have a safe and happy future by taking proactive steps to protect them from being exposed to cigarette smoke.