Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia have passed comprehensive smoke-free laws. The evidence is clear that secondhand smoke is harmful to your health. Simple Tips to Help Prevent Carpal Tunnel and Other Repetitive Strain Injuries at the Office, Asthma, respiratory, lung, and ear infections, Sudden infant death syndrome in infants and children, The risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, heart attack, lung cancer, and possibly other cancers, as well as the possibility of depression. Use a Smoke Filter Mask. Some people believe that simply rolling down the windows is enough to protect others from secondhand smoke. Whether you are booking a hotel room or a cabin on a cruise ship, always request a non-smoking room. Exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk of developing and dying from heart disease. Secondhand smoke poses risks to you and your family. For people with the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or ​COPD, secondhand smoke exposure can prompt an exacerbation of symptoms, which can lead to hospitalization. Traveling can put people with COPD at particular risk for possible exposure. Secondhand smoke is a mixture of the smoke exhaled by smokers and the smoke that comes from the burning end of a cigarette, cigar, or pipe. We value your privacy. If you or someone in your family smokes, insist that all smoking take place outside in a designated spot away from other people. Be sure to pack extra medicine and take it as prescribed. The best way to prevent exposure to secondhand smoke is to plan ahead and to advocate for yourself. Avoid smoking areas to prevent coronavirus from secondhand smoke. The only way to completely prevent exposure to secondhand smoke in apartments is by implementing smoke-free housing policies in all units. Loading... Unsubscribe from shortnsmiles? Clinicians should be clear in their messages about tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure with both children and families. If you are near someone who is smoking, keep the windows open. Anyone who does smoke should do … Remember: There is no safe level of exposure. Avoid areas such as restaurants or similar places where smoking is allowed. Children are especially at risk: About 37 percent of children in the U.S. have already been exposed. Ask them to smoke somewhere else outside the house or you can designate a smoking area. Make your car a smoke-free zone, too. Secondhand smoke, which contains thousands of toxic chemicals, consists of the smoke exhaled by a person smoking, and the smoke from the end of the cigarette, cigar or other tobacco product being smoked. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Step #2: Designate a smoking area. Look for restaurants, stores, and other places that do not allow smoking inside or outside. The information in this article was obtained from various sources not associated with State Farm® (including State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates). Babies and children who breathe secondhand smoke are sick more often with bronchitis, pneumonia, and ear infections. Secondhand smoke affects anyone near burned or exhaled tobacco, but some groups have more smoke exposure: Service industry workers, such as restaurant servers and bartenders: Anyone who works near groups of smokers may be unable to avoid secondhand smoke. However, if you have been around a lot of people smoking, it might take a shower to get the smell out of your hair. The womenshealth.gov website offers some suggestions on how to reduce your exposure to secondhand smoke: Ask smokers not to smoke in your home or car. Pregnant women: Secondhand smoke affects unborn children and their mothers. For children with asthma, breathing secondhand smoke can trigger an attack. Secondhand smoke contains at least 70 cancer-causing chemicals that affect children, adults, and even pets. Surgeon General has determined that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke and that eliminating smoking in indoor spaces is the only way to fully protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke exposure. Don't get paranoid about smelling like smoke; it is often hard to smell secondhand smoke on people. Don't allow smoking in your vehicle, even with the windows down. Tips to help prevent repetitive strain injuries. Make your car a smoke-free zone, too. The information is not intended to replace manuals, instructions or information provided by a manufacturer or the advice of a qualified professional, or to affect coverage under any applicable insurance policy. 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