| Eliminate Secondhand Smoke
Giving up smoking will improve your health and decrease your chance of developing serious
diseases like lung cancer and heart disease. In addition to improving your health, quitting
also benefits your family and others around you.
Secondhand smoke contains the same 4,000 chemicals that are inhaled by a smoker, including
arsenic, carbon monoxide, methane and formaldehyde. About 50 of these chemicals are associated
with, or are known to cause, cancer1.
By giving up smoking, you will be helping those you care about avoid the dangers of
secondhand smoke. Consider the negative effects secondhand smoke can have on others.
Children and Infants
- Children exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to develop asthma, and they will
suffer more from it than children of non-smokers who have asthma2. Exposure increases the
frequency of episodes or attacks, and intensifies asthma symptoms. Infants and children
younger than six who are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to develop
lower respiratory track infections, such as pneumonia and bronchitis3.
- Secondhand smoke increases the number of ear infections in children4.
- Exposure to secondhand smoke is associated with an increased risk for Sudden Infant
Death Syndrome (SIDS)5.
- Infants and toddlers exposed to secondhand smoke have more frequent lower respiratory
tract problems, such as coughs, pneumonia, bronchitis and croup6.
Women
- Nonsmoking women who live with a spouse who smokes have a 20 percent greater risk
of developing lung cancer than those who live with nonsmokers7.
Pregnant Women
- Nicotine exposure from secondhand smoke can affect a baby’s heart, lungs, digestive
system and even central nervous system8.
For more information on the dangers of secondhand smoke, visit SecondhandSmokesYou.com.
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