According to the AHA the risk of heart disease increases thirty percent among those exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work. Passive smoking lowers one's resistance to lower respirator diseases such as bronchitis, pneumonia, and bronchiolitis. Smoking has its greatest impact on infants and children. Mothers who smoke while pregnant subject their unborn baby to passive smoking. Babies born to mothers who smoked while pregnant have a greater chance of being born prematurely and with a low birth weight.
Children exposed to secondhand smoke are at risks for a variety of health problems.
The number of middle ear infections in these children is also increased. Secondhand smoke also increases the number of new cases of childhood asthma in children who have not previously exhibited symptoms. Children who already have asthma have more severe asthma attacks more often. Another annoying aspect of tobacco smoke is the odor created by the burning of tobacco. These lingering odors cling to the hair, clothes, and skin of a person in a smoke-filled room.