It is now officially summer. That means that not only are white pants and white shoes ok to wear (LOL), but also that the barbeques and beach get-togethers will get under way. While you should enjoy this time of year and the frequent social events that the weather allows, you should also not forget about your health, which is so easy to do while having a good time.

No – this blog is not about limiting the amount of alcohol you drink or the amount of food you eat (though we’ll talk about those – again – in future blogs); this one is about smoking cigarettes. And for a change, not just about your smoking, but about the smoking of others. We don’t usually presume to give health advice to other than our readers, but in this case, the smoking of others affects you too.

We’ve all heard that being exposed to the smoke from someone else’s cigarette, cigar, or pipe – even if we do not smoke ourselves – can be dangerous to our health. Because of the many toxic chemicals contained in the secondhand smoke, it is a risk factor for many of the same diseases that smokers get, such as lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke. It has also been associated with lung diseases, such as asthma and bronchitis,  growth abnormalities in infants whose pregnant mothers were exposed, chronic coughing, irritation of the nose and eyes, dental cavities, and even irritability. Any exposure to secondhand smoke, no matter the amount, is unsafe.

Recently, a new danger has been found in being exposed to secondhand smoke – cognitive decline, or, a decline in the brain’s abilities to think and process information. 

A recent study in England (British Medical Journal 2009 February 12;338:b462) looked at 4809 nonsmoking adults over the age of 50, and measured in the saliva the amount of a breakdown product from nicotine which is a marker for exposure to secondhand smoke. Those study participants who had been exposed to secondhand smoke were statistically more likely to perform poorly on neuropsychological tests, or, tests of cognitive function, than were participants who had not been exposed to secondhand smoke.

The negative effect of smoke from tobacco products on brain function has been known to occur in smokers for years. This study was the first time that the same effect was found in nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke.

This study should not only make us grateful for the increasing number of smoke-free places in our environment, but will also give us more ammunition to use against our family and friends who smoke. Tell them that they are not only hurting themselves by smoking, but their loved ones too.