SASO Organizes an Awareness Lecture on Passive Smoking
SASO organized an awareness lecture, entitled "Passive Smoking" in collaboration with the Anti-Smoking Program, on Thursday, Rajab 18, 1436 AH, corresponding to May 7, 2015, at SASO's headquarters in Riyadh.
Dr. Mousa Ahmad Bahkali warned of the risks of smoking, in general, on smokers and people around them, especially their families, children, and colleagues since they are around them for long periods, stressing that passive smoking - according to the World Health Organization (WHO) - is the smoke from tobacco products burned in the mouths of smokers, exposing smokers and non-smokers, alike, to its harmful effects.
Dr. Bahkali noted that passive smoking causes many diseases to children, such as pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma, and others, noting that scientific studies have shown a direct correlation between these diseases and the amount of daily cigarette intake by parents or friends. He pointed out that a smoker inhales 15 % of cigarette smoke while 85% of the smoke spreads in the surrounding air. This smoke carries concentrated proportions of different smoke components; such as tar, nicotine, carbon monoxide and other toxic and carcinogenic substances, he said. Therefore, it is risky to active smokers, themselves, and harms passive smokers as well.
Dr. Bahkali pointed out that damages of passive smoking on a child do not depend only on the age stages; even a fetus is affected by passive smoking. Some studies have shown a relationship between maternal smoking during pregnancy and the emergence of rebellious behavior after birth.