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Even a little second-hand smoke is dangerous.
Second-hand smoke can cause cancer in non-smokers. It can also cause breathing problems and heart disease. People who breathe second-hand smoke get colds and flu more easily. And they often die younger than those who don't breathe it.
Pregnant women who breathe second-hand smoke have many risks:
- They may lose their babies.
- Their babies may be born small.
- Their babies are more likely to die of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).
- Their children may be cranky, restless, and get sick more often.
- Their children are more likely to have learning problems.
Children who breathe second-hand smoke have troubles too. They are much more likely to have breathing problems such as asthma. They also get more ear and lung infections (like pneumonia).
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph 10: Health Effects of Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke. National Cancer Institute, August 1999.
Pregnant or thinking about having a baby?
There's no better time to quit than now.
Women who smoke have a harder time getting pregnant. And you face more dangers if you do get pregnant:
- You may lose the baby or have a stillborn (dead) baby.
- Your baby may be born small.
- Your baby is more likely to die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
- Your baby may be cranky, restless, and get sick more often.
- Your baby is more likely to have learning problems.
The good news is that quitting can help you have a healthy baby. It helps to quit at any time while you are pregnant. It's even better to quit before you get pregnant.
Adapted from Women and Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General - 2001. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001.
http://www.hhs.gov/
All information is taken from: Smokefree.gov and
National Cancer Institute, NCI
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