Problem and Solution Paper - Essay Example

10 May Problem Secondhand smoke (SHS) or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is made with a combination of smokes that emit from burning tobacco. Smokes which SHS consists of include the sidestream smoke and the mainstream smoke. The sidestream smoke is that which emits from the end of a burning cigar, pipe, or cigarette whereas the mainstream smoke is that which the smoker exhales. Although both apparently look alike, they are different in composition, with the sidestream smoke being richer in carcinogens and thus more harmful as compared to the mainstream smoke.

Carcinogens are cancer-causing agents. In addition to that, the size of particles contained in the sidestream smoke is smaller as compared to that in the mainstream smoke, so the particles of the former penetrate into the body cells’ more easily than in the latter. The phenomenon of exposure of the non-smokers to SHS is termed as “passive smoking” or “involuntary smoking” because the non-smokers take in the smoke along with all of its harmful effects despite their unwillingness for the same.

Non-smokers breathing SHS take all the toxic chemicals along with nicotine in the body. The level of harmful chemicals taken in the body is directly proportional to one’s exposure to SHS. It is very unfortunate that people get exposed to SHS despite their efforts to keep away from cigarettes and smoke. “According to the International Labour Organization, 200,000 workers die every year due to exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke at work. WHO estimates that around 700 million children, or almost half of the worlds children, breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke” (“Second-hand Smoke Alert”).

It is a potential problem and needs an objective solution to minimize the risk of cancer and such other diseases caused by the in-take of SHS for the non-smokers. SolutionThere are several solutions for passive smoking but no solution is as effective as prevention. This means that the best way for the non-smokers to avoid the intake of SHS is to keep away from such environments that contain SHS. The techniques conventionally adopted to reduce exposure to dirt and unwanted smoke are ventilation and filtration.

Neither of the two, alone or in combination, reduces the non-smokers exposure to SHS to an acceptable level. The only way to be 100 per cent safe is to be in smoke-free environment. If it is inevitable, then the non-smoker can request the smoker to quit smoking for a while. Most smokers are courteous enough to entertain such requests from the non-smokers. The non-smoker always has an option of opening up the windows to allow the smoke to escape whether or not the smoker turns the cigarette off.

Another solution for SHS is wearing masks. Masks help reduce the intake of SHS by causing the air to pass through a filter, though it is not a very effective solution since the particles of passive smoking, particularly of the sidestream smoke are too small to be held back by the mask. Nevertheless, the concentration of smoke particles breathed in by the nonsmoker is reduced. Works Cited:“Second-hand Smoke Alert.” n.d. Web. 10 May 2012. .