Second Hand Smoke - Second Rate Breathing for Kids

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YOU CAN HELP people you know of all ages to stop smoking by connecting them to cessation programs in your county. Visit www.clarian.org/ctcc for more information on a by-county basis of stop smoking programs close to where you live.

Children deserve to have a choice about the quality of air they breathe. Secondhand smoke is the smoke breathed out by smokers and the smoke from the burning end of a cigarette, cigar, or pipe. The smoke from the burning end of a cigarette has many harmful chemicals.

Children suffer greatest from the effects of second hand smoke. The poisons in second hand smoke put children in danger of severe respiratory diseases and can harm the growth of their lungs. The effects of second hand smoke can last a lifetime and can also shorten lifetimes.

Does your baby, child, or teen suffer from these effects of exposure to second hand smoke?

Increased likelihood of suffering from pneumonia, bronchitis, and other lung diseases
More ear infections and sore throats than children who are not exposed to second hand smoke
Increased risk for developing asthma
Greater numbers of and more severe asthma attacks
Increased risk of lung infections and hospitalization for infants and very young children
More likely to have heart disease, breathing problems, or lung cancer as adults
Get sick more often and stay sick longer

You can make and keep your home and community smoke-free. Here are some steps you can take:

Do not smoke or allow others to smoke in your home. Explain the harm of second hand smoke to your family?s health.
Tobacco smoke, which has prolonged and lingering toxic effects, sticks to everything including skin, hair, clothes, rugs, walls, drapes, household items, and everything inside a car.
Have gum or mints available in your home as an alternative to smoking by you or others.
Enroll in a stop smoking program in your area and encourage family members and friends who smoke to quit smoking. Be sympathetic, understanding, and informative. Smoking affects everyone, not just the person who smokes.
Allow no one to smoke in your car EVER.
Sit with your child in non-smoking areas.
Work with preschools, day care facilities, schools, churches, and other organizations serving children in your community to develop and enforce smoke free policies.

[Keywords: second hand smoke]

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