Secondhand Smoke Children

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CHILDREN

Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke are inhaling many of the same cancer-causing substances and poisons as smokers. Because their bodies are developing, infants and young children are especially vulnerable to the poisons in secondhand smoke.

Click here to learn more from the U.S. Surgeon General

An estimated 750 Oklahomans die prematurely each year from exposure to secondhand smoke. You have the power to separate your family from this risk. Choosing to keep your home smokefree is the only precaution that fully protects you and those you love from the dangers of secondhand smoke.

Click here to learn about Smokefree Homes

Secondhand smoke exposure causes acute lower respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia in infants and young children.

Secondhand smoke exposure causes children who already have asthma to experience more frequent and severe attacks.

Secondhand smoke exposure causes respiratory symptoms, including cough, phlegm, wheeze, and breathlessness, among school-aged children.

Children exposed to secondhand smoke are at increased risk for ear infections and are more likely to need an operation to insert ear tubes for drainage.

Both babies whose mothers smoke while pregnant and babies who are exposed to secondhand smoke after birth are more likely to die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) than babies who are not exposed to cigarette smoke.

Click here to learn more from the Center for Disease Control

Mothers who are exposed to secondhand smoke while pregnant are more likely to have lower birth weight babies, which makes babies weaker and increases the risk for many health problems.

Babies whose mothers smoke while pregnant or who are exposed to secondhand smoke after birth have weaker lungs than other babies, which increases the risk for many health problems.

Learn more about secondhand smoke at Breathe Easy Oklahoma