Second Hand Smoke

Smokers do not only endanger their health; they also endanger the health of their loved ones. It takes three hours to clear a room of 95% of the smoke from just one cigarette! Pregnant women exposed to cigarette smoke are more likely to have low birth weight babies who are at much greater risk for death and disease in infancy and childhood. Children of parents who smoke have a much higher incidence of asthma, allergies, bronchitis, respiratory infections, and pneumonia. Exposure to second hand smoke also results in more than 1.5 million ear infections each year. Such children often require surgeries that otherwise would not be needed (e.g., tubes, adnoidectomies, tonsillectomies, etc). Children exposed to second hand smoke have a greater incidence of school and behavior problems, and a much higher likelihood of being diagnosed to have Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder. Adults exposed to second hand smoke develop the same medical problems as smokers, although the problems develop over longer periods of time.

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