Middle ear infections are also more common in the young children of smoking parents. 5 Second-hand smoke can trigger asthma attacks in children and is a risk factor for new cases of asthma. 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. 8 Restaurant workers have a 50 per cent higher risk of lung cancer than the general population. 9 Go to Top For People with Health Conditions Tobacco smoke poses a real and immediate danger to people with respiratory and heart conditions.