You might think that the smoker inhales most of the smoke from a cigarette, but really only 15% is inhaled. The other 85% is blown out and into the air that we all breathe. The 85% of unfiltered smoke is known as secondhand smoke.

We have all heard of adults with lung cancer, but we rarely hear about kids with smoking related illness. Children with developing lungs have a higher risk of getting asthma or other breathing conditions. For a woman who is pregnant, secondhand smoke may have negative affects on her breast milk. The levels of nicotine in her breast milk are more than double that in her blood stream. Studies show that women who smoke during pregnancy have a higher risk of having a baby who is premature and also has excessive weight loss. They may also develop many problems like learning disabilities. Children of women who have smoked during pregnancy are more likely to suffer behavioral problems such as hyperactivity.

Secondhand smoke causes almost 50,000 deaths in adult non-smokers in the United States each year.

If you smoke, try and quit for you and your loved ones. Please protect children and babies from the dangers of secondhand smoke by providing them a safe environment and safe air that they can breathe. They look up to you, and by not smoking, they will learn that they have made a healthy decision in their life. Think about your child or children and how it affects them or how it will affect them if they keep inhaling secondhand smoke.