What Smoking Does to Your Loved Ones 

Smoke is no respecter of personal space, so its ill-effects spread to the people around you.

Passive smoking, or inhaling the smoke from someone else’s cigarettes, can cause a headache, cough, sore throat, dizziness, nausea and other symptoms. It may also cause miscarriage, stillbirth, cot death and asthma. Long-term exposure puts adults at greater risk of heart disease and a 20-30% higher risk of lung cancer.

Smoking and pregnancy

There’s no better reason to quit smoking than when you’re expecting.

Babies whose mothers smoke during pregnancy are twice as prone to sudden infant death syndrome or cot death. They’re more likely to be underweight and at risk of chest diseases. Having parents who smoke is associated with reduced growth in children and poorer development in reading and maths up to the age of 16 or beyond.

If you're quitting smoking while you're pregnant and want to stay that way, visit the Tricky Situations section of this site for tips.

The effects of smoking on your children

If both their parents smoke, your kids are nearly four times more likely to become teenage smokers themselves compared to their friends whose parents have never smoked.

What’s more, children who are frequently exposed to cigarette smoke are at increased risk of developing asthma, respiratory disease, sudden infant death syndrome (cot death) and chest infections.

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