Taking a cigarette break from your routine schedule to refresh yourself is not only harming you but also others around you. Often referred as a second-hand smoke, it possesses a serious threat to your family, friends, children and colleagues.

There are two types of cigarette smoke-

1. The one which the cigarette smoker exhales during smoking and

2. The other that comes out from the lit end of a burning cigarette. Often, the smoke coming from the lit end is more dangerous since it is unfiltered and has small particles which easily enter our lungs.

Who are at a high-risk from passive smoking?

1. Children- They are more likely to be affected because their organs are in a growing and developing phase. Slower growth of lungs, chances of asthma, risk of cardiovascular diseases and respiratory infection like bacterial meningitis are always high in children that become exposed to passive smoking.

2. Pregnant women- During pregnancy, long-term exposure to second-hand smoke may cause premature birth with the risk of a low birth weight of baby. Passive smoking is one of the major factors to cause miscarriages, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and a compromised psychological development of baby.

3. Family & Friends- Smoking in your house or car can severely affect your family and friends. Passive smoking is more dangerous than direct smoking. Second-hand smoke contains at least 250 harmful and toxic chemicals that may lead to heart diseases and lung cancer.

How to avoid passive smoking?

• Help your family members to quit smoking.
• Live in a smoke-free environment.
• Don’t allow smoking at home or in the car.
• Avoid public places that allow smoking.
• Teach your children the health hazards of smoking.
• Ask a smoker to stub out his/her cigarette when smoking at non-smoking areas.