The dangers of smoking have been known for years. But experts warn that breathing in someone else's secondhand smoke is also a health risk.
Secondhand smoke is a mix of:
When non-smokers breathe in secondhand smoke, it can cause serious health problems. In fact, it is almost as dangerous as if they were smokers themselves.
Smokers might not mean to put the people around them in danger, but they do. Secondhand smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, many of which can cause cancer or heart disease.
In kids, breathing in secondhand smoke can cause:
Kids who are around smoke also might:
Secondhand smoke also is linked to SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).
Later in life, kids exposed to secondhand smoke can be at risk for:
And kids who grow up in a home where parents smoke are more likely to become smokers too.
There are fewer smokers now than in years past. Chances are, though, that someone in your family or someone you know still smokes. But it's never healthy for kids to breathe in tobacco smoke. Even occasional or brief exposures can take a toll on the body.
These two rules can help protect your kids (and yourself!) from secondhand smoke:
Also, don't hesitate to speak up if someone smokes near your child. Politely ask the person not to, but be ready to move away from the smoker if things get uncomfortable.
If you smoke, try to quit. If you have other smokers in the family, offer support and encouragement to help them kick the habit. Quitting isn't easy because smoking is highly addictive. But there are many support groups and tobacco-free programs can help people stop. You also can find information and help online at:
Reviewed by: Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph, MD
Date Reviewed: Sep 16, 2019