Naturopathic Source

There is no safe amount of second-hand smoke. If you live or drive with a smoker, please have a talk with them and ask them not to smoke when you are with them. In Canada alone, about 1000 people per year die from second hand smoke. And obviously, children, pregnant women and the elderly are at even greater risk for complications from second-hand smoke.

Here is an article from the Canadian Cancer Society on the dangers of second-hand smoke.

According to a study done at the University of California, riding in a car with a smoker for one hour is the equivalent of smoking four cigarettes. Someone spending 24 hours in a home with a pack-a-day smoker might as well be smoking three cigarettes during that time.

Children exposed to second-hand smoke get more respiratory infections, reduced lung function and more asthma, to name just a few of the problems.

I know that many smokers are tired of being "demonized"  for smoking but here's the thing: the health risks are real and if your health declines, you will be the one suffering through it. The risk of offending someone is not as important as taking care of your health and the health of your children.

This website, Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada has all the information you could want on smoking risks and second-hand smoke. And the page on second-hand smoke and kids is vital information if you have children who are regularly exposed to cigarrette smoke. If you are a non-smoker, it'll be enough to spur you on to action to change the situation and if you are a smoker please use it as your motivation to either quit or at the very least, stop smoking in such a way that your children are exposed to the second-hand smoke.

TC