But smokers are not the only ones whose health can suffer. Breathing it can be a hazard to your health and to the health of your child.
Secondhand smoke contains smaller amounts of the same chemicals that harm smokers.
The more often you're around secondhand smoke, the greater your risk for health problems. Each year it causes about 3,000 lung cancer deaths in U.S. adults who don't smoke. Secondhand smoke increases the nonsmoker's risk for heart disease and makes worse the symptoms of adults already suffering from asthma, allergies, or bronchitis. Among infants to 18 months of age, secondhand smoke is associated with as many as 300,000 cases of bronchitis and pneumonia each year. It also increases the chances for middle ear problems, causes coughing and wheezing, and worsens asthma conditions.