'Take It Outside!': Avoiding Secondhand Smoke

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 28, 2011) − Most people know that smoking tobacco is very risky for the smoker, but research indicates tobacco smoke is dangerous for non-smokers too, especially children. UK HealthCare, along with the UK Markey Cancer Center, the Kentucky Children's Hospital and nine area hospitals and other community partners launched the "Take It Outside!" campaign in 2009 to protect Kentucky's youngest citizens against the dangerous effects of 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. 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 smoke.

UK HealthCare recently developed a new brochure and information card, "Tips for Protecting Loved Ones from Secondhand Smoke," which may be obtained by calling toll-free 1-800-333-8874. The brochure may also be downloaded as a PDF from the UK HealthCare website, part of ongoing efforts to promote the health and well-being for all Kentuckians.

While quitting tobacco use is one step in protecting loved ones from secondhand smoke, there are many things that both smokers and nonsmokers can do to protect their loved ones. The brochure provides 19 tips for protecting children from secondhand smoke. Chief among these is not smoking inside the home or car, even when the kids are not there. Smoke can leave harmful chemicals in carpet, on furniture and on curtains.

It is also important to know how to talk to your children about protecting themselves from secondhand smoke. Studies indicate that youth who know the risks of secondhand smoke are nearly three times less likely to start smoking.  The booklet has a section with tips on how to talk to children about secondhand smoke.

In the United States, tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of death and disease for both men and women. More than 1,000 people are killed every day by cigarettes, and one-half of all long-term smokers are killed by smoking-related diseases. Every year, thousands of non-smokers die from heart disease and lung cancer and hundreds of thousands of children suffer from respiratory infections because of exposure to secondhand smoke.  

For more information, please visit the UK HealthCare website at http://ukhealthcare.uky.edu/secondhandsmoke/index.asp.