Protecting loved ones
When you quit smoking, not only do you protect your loved ones from second-hand smoke, but you also live longer and enjoy a better quality of life. And that means the world to people who love you.
Second-hand smoke
Second-hand smoke comes from the tip of a lit cigarette and the smoke that the smoker breathes out. Breathing in second-hand smoke, also known as passive smoking, can increase your risk of getting the same diseases as smokers, including lung cancer and heart disease.
Protect your children
Passive smoking is especially harmful for children as they have less well-developed airways, lungs and immune systems. Children who live in a household with at least one smoker are more likely to develop:
- asthma
- chest infections like pneumonia and bronchitis
- meningitis
- ear infections
- coughs and colds
Babies are also at increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Smoking whilst pregnant, or smoking around a pregnant woman, can increase the risk of complications during pregnancy and birth.
Protect your pets
Pets are also affected by second-hand smoke – cats, dogs and birds that live in a home with someone who smokes are more likely to develop cancer, eye infections, allergies and breathing issues. This is because the harmful toxins and carcinogens in tobacco smoke get trapped in their nose, fur, feathers, and lungs.
Opening windows doesn't help
Second-hand smoke stays in the air for several hours after somebody smokes, although you might not see it or smell it. No matter how careful you think you’re being, people around you will still breathe in the harmful toxins.
Opening windows and doors, or smoking in another room, will not protect the other people in your house. The only way to fully protect your loved ones from second-hand smoke is by not smoking indoors or near them.
Did you know?
Most people start smoking and become addicted when they are children. Those whose parents or siblings smoke are around three times more likely to smoke than children living in non-smoking households.
Children who start smoking at the youngest ages are more likely to smoke heavily and find it harder to give up. These smokers are at the greatest risk of developing smoking related diseases.
Reasons to quit
How to quit
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