Have you ever breathed in the smoke that curls up from the tip of someone else's cigarette?
Or the smoke exhaled by a smoker? If so, then you have breathed most of the same harmful,
cancer-causing parts of smoke inhaled by smokers. This called secondhand smoke or environmental tobacco
smoke (ets). As a nonsmoker breathing the smoke from others, you are at risk for the same illnesses as
smokers. Ventilation (airing out a room or opening a window) does not reduce the health risks of
secondhand smoke.
Secondhand smoke is classified as a "Group A" cancer-causing agent. That means that no level of smoke is known to be safe.
Therfore; federal agencies recommend exposure to secondhand smoke be reduced to the lowest possible levels.
1200 non-smoking Missourians die annually due to secondhand smoke.
Children who live with smokers are more likely to have health problems such as:
Respiratory symptoms
Slowed lung growth
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
Acute respiratory infections
Ear problems
More frequent and severe asthma attacks
In addition, each year in the United States, secondhand smoke exposure is responsible for the 150,000 - 300,000
new cases of bronchitis and pneumonia in children younger than 18 months old. This results in 7,500 - 15,000
hospitalizations each year.
You can...
Encourage your worksite to be smoke free
Eat at restaurants that are smoke free
Staying in motel/hotels that are smoke free
If you smoke--QUIT
Set Yourself Free
If you quit, you'll live longer and stay healthier - and so will your family. When you quit smoking, you will start showing signs of physical
recovery almost immediately
Effects of quitting after:
20 minutes Your heart rate drops.
12 hours The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
2 weeks to 3 months Circulation improves. Your lung function increases up to 30 percent.
1 to 9 months Coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia regain normal functions in the lungs, increasing their ability
to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce infection.
1 year Your risk of having coronay artery disease is half that of a smoker's.
5 years Five to 15 years after quitting, your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker.
10 years Your risk of dying from lung cancer is about half that of a continuing smoker; risks of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas decrease.
15 years Your risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker.
Stop by the Health Department for your free "Quit Kit".
Press the arrow to see all the smoke free restaurant's in Polk County.
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