Let us not forget the mental anguish of those suffering from residential second-hand smoke

October 10 is World Mental Health Day.  Instead of discussing mental health in abstraction, I would like to highlight the mental health anguish of non-smokers held captive by residential second-hand smoke, especially during this pandemic, where working from home and home-based learning are almost a default.

Studies have documented the mental health toll exacted on adults, adolescents and children by second-hand smoke. 

In a large study of adults in China, while the background prevalence of mental distress is 25 per cent among non-smokers, 65 per cent of the mentally distressed non-smokers reported exposure to passive smoking, also known as second-hand smoke (1).  The researchers concluded that passive smoking is an important risk factor for non-smokers’ mental distress. (1) 

In another study in the US among children and adolescents, major depressive disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and conduct disorder were found to be positively associated with serum cotinine level - a metabolite of nicotine in the blood indicative of second-hand smoke exposure. (2). 

These findings are hardly surprising.  The harm of cigarette smoke by now is common knowledge. 

Here in Singapore, second-hand smoke no doubt exacerbates the intense stress which our young are already experiencing from our high-pressure education system.

For someone who is trapped in his or her own home with neighbours’ second-hand smoke, the thought of the cigarette smoke slowing killing them over time, in addition to the physical effects like respiratory symptoms and asthma attacks, which they might have already experienced, is distressing enough.

While we urge all to pay attention to one another’s mental health on World Mental Health Day, I appeal to the government to take decisive and meaningful action to protect long suffering non-smokers from the scourge of residential second-hand smoke on this high-density living island.

References:

1.    (1)Association between passive smoking and mental distress in adult never-smokers: a cross-sectional study (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4985981/)

“The estimated prevalence of mental distress among never-smokers in Jilin province is 24.5%, and the estimated prevalence of passive smoking among the mental distressing group is 65.0%.”

“Passive smoking is an important risk factor for mental distress in never-smokers of Jilin province, which reminds Chinese government of increasing the awareness of public health and take measure to prevent SHS, especially with regard to SHS exposure at home and workplace.”

(2)Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Mental Health Among Children and Adolescents (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3075798/)    

“Among nonsmokers, serum cotinine level was positively associated with symptoms of DSM-IV major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and conduct disorder after adjusting for survey design, age, sex, race/ethnicity, poverty, migraine, asthma, hay fever, maternal smoking during pregnancy, and allostatic load. Associations with serum cotinine level were more apparent for boys and for participants of non-Hispanic white race/ethnicity.”

The Chinese language tragedy in a Caifan musical comedy

The recent viral “Caifan” song and music video in the form of a parody of Chinese language-handicapped Singaporeans reduced to saying “this and that” when ordering at economy rice stalls struck a chord in many.

The song is creative, comedic, entertaining and ironically uses copious amount of the Chinese language to tell the story.

My sincere wish is that after the highs and having a good laugh at ourselves, may the song evoke reflections on how and why ethnic Chinese in Singapore have become incapacitated in simple Chinese language contexts, such as ordering Chinese dishes, as depicted in the song.   

My observations are that, for example, our Malay friends, do not have to resort to “this and that” when they are at the Nasi Pandang stall.

It will be even more unimaginable to see a French Canadian pointing and saying “this and that” rather than saying croissant and baguette at the local bakery.

However, we do commonly see the Chinese Singaporean heavily relying on sign language and summoning his moribund Chinese effortfully to order at the Caifan stall.

Beyond the comedy and music, I also see the tragedy of a parody so closely mimicking reality. 

Ours is a Singaporean Chinese identity where the command of the Chinese language is non-essential. 

A Chinese identity that is divorced from the Chinese language, one that is ancient, beautiful and embodies the semantics of being Chinese, ultimately loses richness and subtleties.

My wish is that the song can also stimulate the desire and effort in some people to at least master some rudimentary functional Chinese or re-discover the little that was retained from many years of going through the motion learning the mother tongue.

Perhaps it is too late to make the call now, as Chinese is already discarded like pre-loved shoes, to paraphrase a Chinese saying, “弃之如敝履” qì zhī rú bì lǚ. 

But I remain hopeful. Afterall, what is left after the Pandora box was opened is, hope.