少量暴露二手菸 仍會傷害呼吸道( 青年日報 )
發佈日期： 2012-11-09
◎漁鷹
Second-hand smoke, such as that found in smoke-filled rooms or cars, can impair breathing within 20 minutes, new research suggests. Even after just a few minutes of exposure, people exposed to the smoke showed near immediate physiological changes that caused their airways to narrow, making it more difficult for the body to take in the oxygen it needs.
最新研究發現，在密閉空間或汽車內吸二手菸，只消短短20分鐘不到就會損害呼吸道。研究認為，人甚至只要暴露在二手菸裡幾分鐘，就會讓人體更難吸收氧氣，容易造成呼吸困難。
Lead reseacher Panagiotis Behrakis, of the University of Athens, said: ’Bars and cars are places where high concentrations of fine particles usually occur because of smoking. ’Non-smokers are then forced to inhale extreme amounts directly into their lungs. ’These results tell us that even a short exposure is indeed harmful for normal airways.’
雅典大學教授貝拉奇斯表示：「像酒吧和汽車這些地方，往往有著高濃度細顆粒物，其原因通常來自於吸菸。非吸菸者進入這些地方後，會被迫吸入極端大量的細顆粒物，這些細顆粒物進入肺部與氣管後，即使只曝露很短的時間，都會對正常的氣管造成傷害。」
Although exposure to second-hand smoke appears to be slightly less harmful than direct smoking, Dr. Behrakis believes second-hand smoking should be recognised as a global health issue. He said: ’Second-hand smoking is the most widespread form of violence exerted on children and workers on a global level. The whole issue needs to be recognised as a global problem of human rights violation.’
雖然比起直接吸菸，二手菸對人體的傷害要小一點，但貝拉奇斯博士認為，二手菸應被視為一個全球健康議題。他說：「二手菸是全球最廣為散布、對孩童與工作者影響最為巨大的一種暴力形式，整個二手菸議題，應被視為一種全球性的妨礙人權問題。」
In order to test the effects of short-term second-hand smoke exposure, Dr Behrakis and his colleagues from the Harvard School of Public Health, exposed 15 healthy participants to air heavily concentrated with smoke particles within an exposure chamber - simulating a bar or moving car - for 20 minutes. Results showed that short-term exposure to concentrated second-hand smoke significantly and immediately impacted participants’ airways, making them narrow and reducing the body’s oxygen intake.
為測試短暫曝露在二手菸的影響，貝拉奇斯博士與他來自哈佛公衛學院的同事，共15名健康受試者，進入一個擁有大量煙霧顆粒物的房間，藉以模擬酒吧或移動中的車輛約20分鐘，結果發現雖然只暴露很短的時間，但對受試者的影響十分明顯，他們的氣管變得狹窄，吸入的氧氣量也變少。
Commenting on the research, Dr Penny Woods, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation said: ’This research suggests that just a short exposure to concentrated second-hand smoke, of the kind you might experience when travelling in a car in which someone has smoked, can be enough to cause your airways to narrow, making it more difficult for your body to take in the oxygen it needs. ’Findings such as these are of particular significance to children travelling in cars in which an adult has smoked, as their breathing is faster, their lungs and immune systems less developed, and the effects of narrowing likely to be greater on their smaller airways.’
英國肺臟基金會的執行長伍德博士認為，這個研究「顯示即使只是短時間曝露在二手菸之中，就像你可能有的經驗：搭車時車上乘客抽煙，就已足夠導致你的呼吸道變窄，並讓你更難吸收所需的氧氣。發現這種現象十分重要，因為像如果一名兒童乘坐汽車，車上只要有成年人抽菸，這名孩童的呼吸會加快，肺部和免疫系統會受到抑制，更別提他們變窄的氣管，影響更加重大。」
