Second Hand Smoke Means First Degree Problems

Cancer Risks

You may have heard that second hand smoke isn’t a cause for concern. You may have been told that inhaling smoke from a cigarette, cigar, or even the modern vapes only affects the person inhaling the fumes directly. Unfortunately you are wrong.

In fact, second hand smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals. Moreover, about 70 of those chemicals are directly connected to cancer. In the last 54 years, over 2.5 million adults who were victims of second hand smoke died because of the negative effects that the fumes had on their bodies.

Risks For Children

Second hand smoke is even harder on children and infants. For example, the exposure to second hand smoke increases the risk of asthma, respiratory infections, ear infections, and even Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The CDC reported that more than 1,000 infant deaths are caused from second hand smoke annually. The chemicals in the second hand smoke directly interfere with the brain functions that control breathing in the babies’ brains.

CDC

Moreover, as a child’s lungs are developing, any outside/foreign object or fume that enters their lungs only hinders their growth and development. As a parent, you want nothing but the best for you child. You want them to grow up as strong and as healthy as possible. Second hand smoke directly hinders correct development of essential organs that your child will need for the rest of their life.

Put Their Health First

If you smoke as an adult and if you are a parent, please take the proper precautions to protect the health of your children. Stop smoking inside your home or car. Rolling the windows down or turning a fan on does not help the real problem. Please do not disregard second hand smoke any longer. Understand that smoking doesn’t just affect you. It affects everyone around you, including the ones you love the most.

If you or a loved one need help quitting smoking, there are successful options and resources out there for you such as the 1-800-Quitnow hotline. If you have exposed your children to second hand smoke in the past, make a conscious decision going forward to put their health and interests first to give them the best chance they can have at a happy, long, healthy life.