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It's a common fact that 2nd hand smoke from cigarettes hurts the people around you, but what most smokers don't know is that that smoking can seriously affect their pets too.
In fact, as they are much smaller than humans, 2nd and 3rd hand smoke can hurt them even more!
If you are a smoker and love your pet, then give this blog a read!
WHAT IS SECOND AND (THIRD HAND) SMOKE?
For the few people who don't know, 2nd hand smoke (or passive smoking as it's otherwise called) is all the smoke that isn't absorbed by smoker. This can be either the smoke you exhale or the smoke that is released when the cigarette is burning. The smoke directly from the cigarette is much more dangerous, but both can harm you and your pets.
3rd hand smoke is less well known. It's the smoke residue that is left on clothes, carpets and any fabric you smoke around. It is less dangerous than 2nd hand smoke, as it is trapped in fabric, but if it is still a risk.
So how does 2nd hand cigarette smoke hurt you as a non-smoker? The same way it hurts a smoker, with the 5000 chemicals in each cigarette (1). 70 of these are known carcinogens (cancer causing chemicals) but even the others which don't cause cancer can still harm you.
Some of these chemicals include: Arsenic, Cyanide and Formaldehyde to name just a few. (2)
2nd and 3rd hand smoke is perhaps the most insidious way cigarettes can harm people, as sometimes you don’t even notice it. After all, almost 85 percent of tobacco smoke is invisible.
Perhaps the worst part is that 2nd hand smoke affects people who have never smoked, so they get the same health problems without smoking a single cigarette.
And every year thousands of people die as a direct result of 2nd and 3rd hand smoke.
Cancer Research says that just by regularly being around a smoker, non-smokers are 25% more likely to get cancer. This isn't even including other smoking related diseases such as heart disease, strokes and COPD.
2nd hand smoke effects children the most though, with 165,000 new cases in the UK each year linked to passive smoking. (3)
The reason that children are affected so much more are 2 fold, 1) children are smaller so the same amount of smoke is a much larger percentage of their oxygen consumption and 2) they can't get away from smoke (such as leaving the house or not smoking in a car if their parents are smoking).
These reasons can be applied to animals as well.
HOW DOES 2nd HAND AND 3rd HAND SMOKE HARM PETS?
Animals inhale more smoke and - because of their grooming routines – they also ingest nicotine when licking their fur, a study by Glasgow University found. (4)
Animals which spend a lot of time indoors (like most dogs, cats, rabbits etc.) they are constantly surrounded by smoke. They also come in contact with the fabric in your home as well, so have a much higher chance of coming into contact with 3rd hand smoke.
The grooming routines of animals like cats causes them to ingest even more chemicals, as smoke gathers in their fur and when they come to clean themselves they lick it off. Animals then not only breathe in 2nd hand smoke, but they also eat it too.
Due to all this dogs and cats are at risk of developing lung or sinus cancer while other pets such as rabbits can face skin disease and breathing issues. (5)
HOW CAN E-CIGARETTES HELP?
The good news is that there is a way to get your nicotine without harming your animals.
As e-cigarettes don't produce smoke there is no 2nd or 3rd hand smoke. E-cigarettes don't contain the 5000 chemicals that are found in cigarettes either, so there are no carcinogens for your dog or cat to take in.
Pets are a great motivator for all sorts of things, to get us to get up and move more, they make us get up early for them, why let them help you make the switch?
There is still the matter of nicotine of course, which isn't good for animals, but as long as you keep the refills out of the way there shouldn't be an issue. (6)
So if you want to make sure your pet isn't taking in passive smoke, try one of our New SMOKO VAPE POD starter kits today!
WHO ARE SMOKO PREMIUM E-CIGARETTES?
SMOKO Premium Electronic Cigarettes is the UK’s leading brand of e-cigarettes. Since starting in 2012, SMOKO has helped prevent the use of over 100,000,000 cigarettes. Our e-cigarettes have helped our customers save over £40M in extra disposable income.
SMOKO E-Cigarettes contain only the highest quality, pharmaceutical-grade ingredients. Best of all our liquids are all Made in the UK! The majority of e-cigarette brands sold in grocery and convenience stores, petrol stations and on-line still use Chinese-made ingredients.
SMOKO Electronic Cigarettes contain only 4 ingredients vs. the 4,000 chemicals and 50 known carcinogens found in traditional cigarettes.
SMOKO – Amazing flavour, realistic smoking sensation and quality you can trust!
REFERENCES
(4) Evaluating the impact of environmental tobacco smoke on biological age markers: a canine model
(6) Be Smoke-free and Help Your Pets Live Longer, Healthier Lives
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Written by Jonny Shaw
Jonny Shaw – Is a former smoker of 7 years before becoming a client of SMOKO E-Cigarettes. He started working with SMOKO 10 years ago after successfully quitting with our cigalike and now heads up our Customer Service. Jonny helps countless people every day to find the right solutions to quit smoking cigarettes using our range of vape and electronic cigarette products.
