▲ Secondhand smoke causes a lot of damage to people

More than 880,000 people died from exposure to secondhand smoke in 2016 globally. Every year, the number of deaths caused by secondhand smoke is increasing. Especially, 60,000 children under five years of age died from secondhand smoke annually. WHO and every government in the world try to reduce the number of smokers. However, in South Korea, 30 percent of people smoke, and 21 percent of teens smoke. It is more than eight percent of the average.

▲ Non-smokers can also affected by cigarettes

Secondhand smoke is very fatal. For example, 30 minutes of exposure to low concentrations of smoke can cause damage of blood vessels. Also, it can lead to heart and brain diseases. To young children, it is more fatal. Also, tertiary smoke is serious. The toxic substance remaining on the smoker's clothes can be passed to other people. Then, the nicotine can be combined with air and create a new carcinogen. Especially, weak-lunged people are fatal to be exposed to smoke. Moreover, many people in South Korea said that it is uncomfortable to bear the smoke of cigarettes outside.

To reduce the number of victims of secondhand smoke, in South Korea, laws Preventing Damage from Secondhand Smoking in Apartment Houses have been proposed. Every year, the civil complaint against secondhand smoke in apartments is 57.5 percent. After the law was proposed, these people can notify about the cigarette smoke. And, many provinces made a lot of smoking booths to reduce public smoking on the streets.

▲ Smoking booths to reduce the damage of secondhand smoke

Globally, the developed country's smoker rate is decreasing, but the developing country's rate is increasing. This means that many people in the world are damaged by a cigarette's smoke. Experts said that it is important to reduce the number of smokers and protect non-smokers from secondhand smoke.

April 19, 2020

by Eugene Jang