3 Young children exposed to second-hand smoke are more vulnerable to respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis, asthma, and ear infections. Middle ear infections are also more common in the young children of smoking parents. Approximately 300,000 Canadian children and adolescents have asthma. These children are more likely to take up smoking themselves as they approach adolescence. In Nova Scotia, the average age for beginning to smoke is 12 years.
Tobacco smoke spreads quickly through offices and buildings.
It causes more disability, disease, and death among employees than any other single hazard in the workplace. For the employer, second-hand smoke results in lost productivity, increased property damage and depreciation, and increased maintenance and cleaning costs. Creating smoke-free workplaces is the only effective and inexpensive way to protect the health of employees. For People with Health Conditions Tobacco smoke poses a real and immediate danger to people with respiratory and heart conditions. We've Come a Long Way It wasn't so long ago that smoking was as accepted as drinking.