Create a Smoke-Free Zone

You probably already know about secondhand smoke.  This is the smoke given off by the end of a burning cigarette, cigar or pipe.  It is also the smoke exhaled from the smokers lungs.  However, you may not know that this smoke can be just as dangerous to the non-smokers who breathe it.  

• Secondhand smoke is a serious health problem linked to heart disease and lung cancer.  It kills more Americans each year than murder, drugs and AIDS combined.  It’s the third leading preventable cause of illness and early death in the U.S.

• Children are at a great risk.  Children of smoking parents have 70% more breathing problems, are hospitalized more and miss more school days.  They suffer from bronchitis, pneumonia, ear infections and asthma.  And infants of smoking parents are four times more likely to die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

• Secondhand smoke sticks around.  It can remain in the home (or car) even if smoking took place days, weekend and months earlier.  Smoke vapors and particles are stored everywhere:  carpets, walls, furniture, toys, house dust, car interiors, clothes, skin and hair.  So not only can you inhale secondhand smoke from the air, you can also inhale it from surfaces and dust in the home.  And if you touch a contaminated surface, your skin can absorb these harmful chemicals, too!