Tobacco Risks

How does living with a smoker harm my children?

Many people think that the only people harmed by tobacco use are smokers who have smoked for a long time. The fact is that tobacco use can be harmful to everyone. This includes unborn babies and people who don’t smoke. If you smoke cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, or use smokeless tobacco like chew and snuff, the best thing you can do for yourself and for everyone around you is quit.

Smoking harms infants and children

When parents expose their children to smoke, or let others do so, they are putting their children’s health in danger and sending a message that smoking is OK.

Secondhand smoke is the smoke a smoker breathes out. It’s also the smoke that comes from the tip of lit cigarettes, pipes, and cigars. It contains about 4,000 different chemicals, many of which cause cancer. Because of exposure to secondhand smoke, about 3,400 nonsmokers die from lung cancer every year and 22,000 to 69,000 nonsmokers die from heart disease every year.

Breathing in smoke can cause

The best way to protect infants and children from smoke is to make your home and car smoke free all the time.

Smoking harms unborn babies

Smoking during pregnancy or exposing pregnant women to smoke can lead to many serious health problems for an unborn baby, such as

Smoking harms teens

Every day thousands of teens try smoking for the first time. About one third of them will die of a smoking-related disease. Other teen smokers may experience the same health problems as adult smokers, including

Smoking also gives you bad breath, yellow teeth, and yellow fingernails; makes your hair and clothes smell bad; and wrinkles your skin.

Smoking harms adults

Smoking is the most preventable cause of death in the United States. Think about the following
facts.

It’s time to quit!

Thousands of Americans have found a way to stop smoking. You can too. People who quit smoking live longer, healthier lives. They look and feel better. They save money and are great role models for others. Most importantly, they can help improve the health of their children and other family members.