Children Are Particularly Vulnerable
Pregnant Women Beware
When you quit smoking, you are doing something great for your own health. Equally rewarding is that fact that you're also doing something wonderful for the health of those around you, including family, friends and coworkers
In essence, when you smoke, you force the people who spend time with you to "smoke" too. Nonsmokers who experience secondhand smoke on a regular basis can suffer from some of the same health problems that affect smokers:
Lung cancer (Risk is increased 20% to 30% from regular secondhand smoke exposure.)
Eye, nose and throat irritation
Respiratory problems, including coughing and wheezing
Heart problems, including heart attack (Risk is increased 25% to 30%.)
Premature death
Every year, approximately 3,000 nonsmokers in the United States die of lung cancer as a result of secondhand smoke (sometimes referred to as environmental tobacco smoke).
And the problem is widespread. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nine in 10 people have been exposed to secondhand smoke. Although secondhand smoke contains fewer of the carcinogens that affect smokers, many nonsmokers have measurable levels of nicotine — the primary ingredient in tobacco — in their blood.
Children Are Particularly Vulnerable
Because a child's lungs do not fully develop until later in life, secondhand smoke can be particularly damaging in the young.
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