Tips for Protecting
Loved Ones from
Secondhand Smoke
takeitoutside.org
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Many thanks to all of the takeitoutside.org
website visitors who shared their tips
for avoiding or minimizing secondhand smoke.
Without your ideas this booklet
would not have been possible.
Ta b l e o f C o n t e n t s
Tips for protecting children................................................ 2
How to talk to children........................................................ 3
Risks to children.................................................................... 4
Protecting yourself............................................................... 5
Partners.............................................................................. 6–7
Detailed tips...................................................................... 8–9
Tobacco etiquette for smokers and nonsmokers......... 10
Summary.............................................................................. 11
Resources............................................................................. 13
Tips for protecting children from secondhand smoke
• Never smoke around children. There is no safe level of exposure
to tobacco smoke.
• Smoke outside the home, even when the kids are not there. Smoke can
leave harmful chemicals in carpet, on furniture and on curtains.
• Explain that your home is smoke free; most guests are willing to smoke
outside. Ask them to stay at least 20 feet from entryways, windows
and vents.
• Avoid bringing chemicals from tobacco smoke into the house by wearing
a designated smoking jacket/robe over your clothes when you smoke
outside, then leaving the jacket at the door or in the garage.
• Do not smoke in your car. Fill your car ashtrays with coins or mints to avoid
temptation.
• Let riders know in advance they cannot smoke in your car.
• Find out whether events (i.e., games, concerts, fairs) you and your children
are planning to attend are smoke free.
• If you are a parent or caregiver who smokes, please quit.
2
How to talk to your children
about secondhand smoke
Protect children’s health by talking to them about
secondhand smoke. Clear, simple, age appropriate
messages work best.
•Let them know it is important to breathe
smoke-free air.
•Tell them to move at least 20 feet away when they
smell smoke, because cigarette smoke contains
toxic chemicals such as carbon monoxide and
cyanide.
•Encourage children to let you know if there
is cigarette smoke in places they visit, such as
friends’ homes.
•Let your children know they can invite their friends
to your smoke-free home.
Did you know?
• Youth who know the risks of secondhand smoke are nearly
three times less likely to start smoking. This knowledge is
stronger than peer pressure.
• Childhood asthma, obesity and mental health disorders
are strongly associated with secondhand smoke during
pregnancy and after childbirth.
• Children exposed to secondhand smoke may have signs
and symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. This could make it
difficult for children to concentrate.
3
A Kentucky children’s health problem
Most people know that smoking tobacco is
very risky for the smoker. But did you know that
tobacco smoke is dangerous for nonsmokers,
especially children?
Children living in households where adults smoke are
at high risk of exposure to secondhand smoke. Parents
who smoke provide almost 90 percent of a child’s exposure
to secondhand smoke1. Children exposed to secondhand
smoke are more likely to die from sudden
infant death syndrome (SIDS)2. They also have
more health problems such as pneumonia,
bronchitis, asthma and ear infections3. Children
living in households where
adults smoke are hospitalized more than
children living in smoke-free homes4.
1
US Environmental Protection Agency (2004). National Survey on Environmental Manangement of
Asthma and Children’s Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke (NSEMA/CEE). Washington DC.
2
Dietz, P. M., England, L. J., Shapiro-Mendoza, C. K., Tong, V. T., Farr, S. L., & Callaghan, W. M. (2010).
Infant Morbidity and Mortality Attributable to Prenatal Smoking in the U.S. American Journal of
Preventive Medicine, 39(1), 45-52.
3
US Dept of Health and Human Services. (2006). The health consequences of involuntary exposure
to tobacco smoke: A report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA.
4
Mackay, D., Haw, S., Ayres, J. G., Fischbacher, C., & Pell, J. P. (2010). Smoke-free legislation and
hospitalizations for childhood asthma. New England Journal of Medicine, 363(12), 1139-1145.
4
Protecting yourself and loved ones
from secondhand smoke
Secondhand smoke comes from the burning end
of a cigarette, pipe or cigar. It also comes from smoke
exhaled by a smoker. People exposed to secondhand
smoke breathe the same toxic chemicals that smokers do.
These chemicals come not only from the tobacco itself,
but from the soil, paper and ingredients added to make
the tobacco taste better. There are more than 250 toxic
chemicals in secondhand smoke.
Studies show that the more exposure you have to
secondhand smoke, the more likely it is you will have
health problems. Protect yourself and your loved ones
from the hazards of secondhand smoke by using the tips
provided in this booklet. If you smoke and can’t quit
take it outside. Don’t smoke in your car or home.
5
S econd h and
S moke
UK HealthCare
UK Kentucky Center for Smoke-free Policy
UK Markey Cancer Center Network Affiliates
Commonwealth Cancer Center
(Danville, Frankfort, Somerset, Corbin, London, Russell Springs, Harrodsburg, Columbia)
Frankfort Regional Medical Center
Georgetown Community Hospital
Harrison Memorial Hospital
Hazard ARH Regional Medical Center
Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital
Rockcastle Regional Hospital and Respiratory Care Center
St. Claire Regional Medical Center
Community Partners
American Academy of Pediatrics – Kentucky Chapter
Cumulus Radio
Kentucky Department for Public Health
LM Communications Radio
6
C am p a i gn
Pa r tne r s
UK HealthCare Stroke Affiliates
UK Gill Heart Institute
Appalachian Regional Healthcare
Harlan ARH
Hazard ARH Regional Medical Center
Mary Breckinridge ARH
McDowell ARH
Middlesboro ARH
Morgan County ARH
Whitesburg ARH
Williamson ARH
Norton Healthcare
Norton Audubon Hospital
Norton Brownsboro
Norton Hospital
Norton Suburban
7
Tips for avoiding secondhand smoke
Home
• Do not allow smoking anywhere in your
home.
• Tell family and friends the only place they
may smoke is outside.
• Keep smoke at least 20 feet away from doors,
windows and vents.
• Avoid bringing smoke inside the house by
wearing a “smoking jacket” over clothes and
leaving it outside.
Car
• Do not allow smoking in your
vehicle.
• Wear a “smoking jacket” during trip
breaks and store it in the trunk.
• Fill ashtrays with coins or mints so
no one is tempted to use them.
8
Community
• If you have friends who smoke, enjoy
their company in smoke-free places like
movie theaters or shopping centers.
• Avoid eating in restaurants where
smoking is allowed. Consider take-out.
• Find out whether events such as concerts
or sports games will be smoke free or
have smoke-free areas, and sit as far
away as possible from burning tobacco
products.
• If smoking is allowed at your job,
volunteer to help the company create
designated outdoor smoking areas at
least 20 feet away from the building.
Did you know?
Secondhand smoke is the third leading
cause of preventable death in the U.S.,
resulting in 53,000 deaths per year in
nonsmokers.
The 2006 Surgeon General’s report on
secondhand smoke: “The Health Consequences
of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke”
www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/
secondhandsmoke
9
Tobacco etiquette for smokers
and nonsmokers
Smokers
• If you are with a group, ask whether it is
okay to smoke. If anyone says no, don’t
smoke or smoke at least 20 feet away
from them.
• Avoid throwing butts on the ground.
Put them in an ashtray or back in your
cigarette pack.
• Do not smoke in places where groups
of people pass or get together, such
as playgrounds, crosswalks or doors to
buildings.
• Never smoke around children or those
with medical conditions.
Nonsmokers
• If you are in a designated smoking
area and feel uncomfortable,
politely leave.
• Do not argue with smokers or tell
them that smoking is bad for them.
• Tell smokers in advance that your
home and car are smoke free.
• When traveling with a smoker, offer
to stop for outdoor smoke breaks.
10
Why you should avoid secondhand smoke
• Children regularly exposed to secondhand
smoke may have nicotine withdrawal
symptoms.
• Secondhand smoke can be a trigger for
a stroke or heart attack for patients with
heart or blood vessel problems.
• Secondhand smoke can harm pets. Cancer
rates in pets are higher in households
where smoking is allowed.
• Tobacco smoke can make breathing
problems such as asthma worse.
• Newborns are more likely to die from
sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) if
one or both parents smoke.
• Former smokers or those trying to quit
are often tempted by being around
secondhand smoke.
takeitoutside.org
11
Did you know?
The poisons in smoke can immediately cause blood clots,
heart attacks and strokes.
“How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease, A Report of the Surgeon General,” 2010
www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke
12
Additional resources
For more information on secondhand smoke, visit our website
takeitoutside.org.
To share your tip(s) on how to avoid or reduce secondhand smoke, go to
takeitoutside.org and leave your idea in the tips section.
Your helpful tip could be used in a future publication.
To request additional copies of this
brochure or for copies of our first
brochure, Secondhand Smoke – What
You Should Know, call 859-257-1000
or toll free 1-800-333-8874 or go to
takeitoutside.org and download them
from our website.
For help quitting smoking, visit Kentucky’s Tobacco Quit Line.
Free one-on-one counseling in English,
Spanish and other languages
8 a.m.–1 a.m. EST, 7 days a week
Toll free 1-800-Quit Now (1-800-784-8669)
13
If you only remember one thing:
take it outside!
takeitoutside.org
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