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    Did you know? Our government has a new partnership agreement with Saskatchewan nurses that sets firm targets for recruiting and keeping nurses. Read more about recruitment and retention. Smoking and your Health Second Hand Smoke Risks to ChildrenGet the facts, reduce the risk to your kidsSecondhand tobacco smoke is a health risk - proven to cause cancer in adults. Infants and children are particularly vulnerable to tobacco smoke because their lungs and respiratory tracts are still growing. Children have a higher metabolism and can absorb higher amounts of smoke than adults. More than three times as many infants die from secondhand smoke-related Sudden-Infant Death Syndrome as from child abuse or homicide. Smoke can trigger illnesses and anxietyResearch shows that tobacco smoke can trigger colds, asthma, bronchitis, allergies and pneumonia, and breathing problems generally. Exposure to tobacco smoke raises a child's risk of: ear infection, tubes in the ears, asthma, bronchitis and tonsillectomies. Tobacco smoke also causes children emotional stress. They have been taught that smoking causes cancer. Now they are learning that breathing tobacco smoke in their house could make them very sick. The poisons contained in second-hand smokeArsenic, benzene, lead and formaldehyde poisons are present in second-hand smoke. It also has twice as much as nicotine and tar as the smoke inhaled by smokers. Steps you can takeAsk people to smoke outside. Reduce your child's exposure to secondhand smoke by asking family members and visitors to smoke outside. It doesn't help to smoke in another room. Hire a nonsmoking caregiver. If your caregiver or babysitter does smoke, ask him or her not to smoke around your child. Make your vehicle smoke-free. Reduce your family's exposure to tobacco smoke by letting passengers know that you don't allow smoking in your vehicle. Join nonsmoking groups. Join community groups that support nonsmoking environments for children. Want to stop smoking?SMOKERS' HELPLINE 1-877-513-5333. We're here to help. Free. Confidential. One-to-one. English and French.
Related Links
Second Hand Smoke: The Facts. Blue Ribbon Campaign 2005 [cited 2005 May 25]. What is Second-hand Smoke? The Facts About Tobacco 2004 [cited 2005 February 28].
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