Tobacco smoke is more harmful than smog

Shenyang Health Education Center's Smoking Control Office Director Zhang Miao stated that tobacco smoke contains over 7,000 chemical components, hundreds of which are harmful substances, including at least 69 known carcinogens, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, N-nitrosamines, and aromatic amines. In smoke, especially when PM2.5-sized particles penetrate the lung alveoli, they can permanently settle there, increasing the risk of cancer in human tissues. Smoking can lead to at least 15 types of malignant tumors, including lung cancer, as well as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, adolescent asthma, and chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke, peripheral artery disease, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis.

Zhang Miao noted that secondhand smoke is even more harmful to women and children. Pregnant women exposed to secondhand smoke can experience lower birth weights, sudden infant death syndrome, premature birth, newborn neural tube defects, and cleft lip and palate.

Therefore, while paying attention to smog, we must not forget that tobacco smoke is a more terrifying killer than smog.