CHILDREN How We Can Protect Our 

from 

Secondhand Smoke
 

A Parent’s Guide 

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Secondhand smoke threatens our 

children. 

Secondhand smoke comes from lit cigarettes and cigars. It also 

comes from smoke breathed out by smokers. When children 

breathe secondhand smoke, it is like they are smoking, too. 

Secondhand smoke is made of thousands of chemicals. Many 

are poisons that stay in your body. What do these poisons do? 

The U.S. Surgeon General asked scientists to find out. They 

found that secondhand smoke harms everyone, especially 

children. They also learned that 

•	 An estimated 88 million nonsmoking Americans, including 54% of

children aged 3–11 years, are exposed to secondhand smoke. 

•	 They breathe it at home, day care, and in cars.

•	 Children have more than twice the level of cotinine (an indicator of

exposure to tobacco smoke) in their blood as nonsmoking adults. 

Here are just a few of the chemicals and poisons in tobacco 

smoke. 

Benzene 

Found in gasoline 

Butane 

Used in lighter

fluid 

Ammonia 

Used in 

household 

cleaners Toluene 

Found in paint

thinners

Cadmium

Used in making

batteries

Hydrogen 

cyanide

Used in chemical 

weapons 

Almost 19 million American 

children 3–11 years old 

breathe the poisons in 

secondhand smoke. 

How does secondhand smoke hurt 

our children? 

Tobacco smoke harms babies, even before they are born. It 

harms children, too, because their lungs and bodies are still 

growing. 

•	 One in every

five babies born 

to mothers who 

smoke has low 

birth weight. Low 

birth weight is a 

leading cause of 

infant death. 

•	 Babies who

breathe 

secondhand 

smoke are more 

likely to die 

unexpectedly 

from sudden 

infant death 

syndrome (SIDS),

also called crib 

death. 

•	 Babies and children who breathe secondhand smoke are

sick more often with bronchitis, pneumonia, and ear 

infections. 

•	 For children with asthma, breathing secondhand smoke

can trigger an attack. The attack can be severe enough to 

send a child to the hospital. Sometimes an asthma attack 

is so severe that a child dies. 

Smoking during pregnancy can cause 

your baby to be born too early and have 

low birth weight. If you smoke, your baby 

is more likely to become sick or die. 

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Children can’t hide from secondhand 

smoke at home. Here’s why... 

Smoking in another room like a bathroom or bedroom 

pollutes all the air in your home. In an apartment, smoke in 

one room can go through the whole building. 

•	 Smoking outside in a hall or stairwell does not protect

children inside. Smoke goes under doors, windows, and 

through cracks. 

•	 To protect the children inside, homes and apartment

buildings must be smoke-free. 

No amount of secondhand smoke is safe. Even when you 

can’t smell it, cigarette smoke can still harm your child. 

•	 Opening a window or using a fan does not protect children.

•	 Air purifiers and air fresheners do not remove smoke’s

poisons. 

•	 Smoke from one cigarette can stay in a room for hours.

Don’t smoke at home, even when children aren’t there.

Allowing people to

smoke in only one

room does not protect 

children. Smoke from 

halls and stairs gets

inside, too. 

We must protect children from 

secondhand smoke everywhere. 

At Home. If you take care of children in your home, do not 

allow anyone to smoke inside. Do not let babysitters, family

members, or friends smoke around your children. 

In Day Care. Make sure smoking is not allowed in your 

child’s day care. 

At School. Make sure your child’s school is smoke-free 

inside and out. All school events should be “No Smoking.” 

In Public. Choose restaurants and businesses that are 

smoke-free. “No Smoking” sections in restaurants do not 

protect children from secondhand smoke. 

In Your Car. Do not allow anyone to smoke if children are

riding in your car. Rolling down a window does not protect 

them. 

Show that you care. Don’t allow anyone to smoke around children. 

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Take simple steps to protect your 

children from secondhand smoke. 

Children respect and learn from your actions and words. 


As caregivers, we teach our children by the choices we make. 


•	 Ask people not to smoke around your children.

•	 Support family and friends who also want to stop smoking.

•	 Decide to have a smoke-free home and car, and ask

family and friends to respect your decision. 

•	 Get rid of all ashtrays in your home.

•	 Teach your children to stay away from secondhand

smoke. Encourage your teens not to smoke. 

•	 Make the decision to quit smoking. Get help from your

doctor, family, and friends. Call this free quitline:

1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669).

As adults, we have the power to protect our 

children from the dangers of secondhand 

smoke. 

What happens now can change 

our children’s future. 

To order copies of this brochure, call the 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636). 

For more information on protecting children

from secondhand smoke, please visit 

www.cdc.gov/tobacco 

For free information on how to quit smoking, call

1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) 

or visit 

www.smokefree.gov 

This brochure is based on The Health Consequences of Involuntary 

Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General and its 

summary, Secondhand Smoke: What It Means to You. 

To download these publications, go to www.cdc.gov/tobacco 

and click on “Surgeon General’s Report” or call toll-free 

1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636) to order free copies. 

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CHILDREN

Does anyone smoke near your children?

Do you allow people to smoke anywhere

in your home? 

Do you live in a building where

neighbors smoke? 

Do you allow smoking in your car?

Do your children visit places where

people are smoking? 

Is smoking allowed outside your day 

care, school, or church? 

YES NO 

If you checked “Yes” to any of the above, your 

children are not safe from tobacco smoke. 

Are your children in danger from 

secondhand smoke? 

How We Can Protect Our 

Printed in USA