Harm from passive smoking occurs within a few minutes

Staying in a smoking room for 30 minutes leads to severe damage to the blood vessels of a healthy young person, significantly increasing the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, according to a new study.

The results confirm the growing amount of evidence that any exposure to nicotine (including passive smoking) is a huge health hazard. Passive smoking exposes a non-smoker to a number of harmful chemicals, including nicotine, which has been shown to increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

[caption id="attachment_771" align="aligncenter" width="310"] Harm from passive smoking[/caption]

In the United States, 50,000 non-smoking people die each year as a result of heart disease caused by inhalation of tobacco smoke or passive smoking. Therefore, passive smoking becomes a major public health problem.

The author of the study, Kritian Heis, MD (Germany) and colleagues (California) examined and evaluated the condition of the blood vessels of healthy young non-smokers after exposure to nicotine for 30 minutes (the level corresponded to the level of nicotine in public places for smoking). After a while, the study participants were examined again after their stay in clean air (without nicotine). Scientists have discovered the fact that even short passive smoking causes a disturbance in the action of the blood vessels of a healthy person and interferes with the work (throughout the day) of endothelial progenitor cells that are involved in the restoration of blood vessels.

"In aggregate, the results of the study prove that even a short period of passive smoking has severe long-term and negative vascular consequences," the scientists write in the article. Hayes and his team were the first to describe the effect of passive smoking on human endothelial progenitor cells. The decrease in the number of endothelial progenitor cells and their dysfunction is associated with cardiovascular risk factors, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

"These results are of great importance for public health and should awaken the consciousness that even short-term passive smoking leads to negative consequences," Hayes says. In an accompanying article, David S. Selemaer, MD, cardiologist at the Royal Hospital of Prince Alfred in Sydney, Australia, writes that the findings on the negative effects of passive smoking on the work of endothelial progenitor cells will serve as the beginning of further research. He also added that the Hines team demonstrated the proverb "there is no smoke without fire."