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Myth # 1

Secondhand Smoke doesn’t contain the same chemicals as tobacco smoke.  Secondhand smoke contains all the same cancer-causing chemicals.

Myth #2

It’s my right to smoke where I want!  Everyone has the right to a smoke free environment.  Secondhand smoke causes 300,000 cases of pneumonia and bronchitis each year.

Myth #3

Secondhand smoke doesn’t really affect my children.
Babies of parents who smoke are twice as likely to die from Sudden Infant Syndrome.  Children living with smokers, are much more likely to start smoking!

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FACTS ABOUT SECONDHAND SMOKE

• Secondhand smoke is classified by the Environmental Protection agency as a known cause of lung cancer in humans (Group A Carcinogen).  Same as Asbestos.

• Secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals.  Many of them are harmful to the body.

• Smoke-filled rooms can have up to six times the pollution of a crowded highway.

• Secondhand smoke is linked to lung, cervical, breast, and bladder cancer.

• Secondhand smoke is associated with 35,000 heart attacks each year in nonsmokers.

HOW DOES SECONDHAND SMOKE AFFECT CHILDREN?

• Children who live with a smoker inhale 102 packs of cigarettes by the age of 5!

• Infants and children whose parents smoke are seriously affected by exposure to secondhand smoke.  Secondhand smoke puts them at higher risk to develop more colds and pneumonia-it also makes asthma worse.

• Children exposed to secondhand smoke are also more likely to have reduced lung function and symptoms of respiratory irritation like coughing, excess phlegm, and wheezing.

• Secondhand smoke can lead to middle ear infections.

TIPS TO MAKE YOUR ENVIRONMENT SMOKE-FREE

• Do not allow babysitters or others who work in your home to smoke in the house or near your children.

• Insist that your child’s school and/or day care program be smoke-free.

• Do not smoke or allow others to smoke in your care.  Even if you are alone in the car.

• I t is not ok to smoke in the kitchen with the exhaust fan on or with the window open.  It is not only the smoke in the air that is harmful but the particles that settle in the carpet, drapes and furniture that is linked to many serious health problems.

• If you do smoke, the best thing you can do is try to stop.

3 COMMON MYTHS ABOUT SECONDMAND SMOKE