Is second-hand smoke really that dangerous?
Yes. Its estimated that several hundred people a year die from lung cancer caused by second-hand smoke. It almost certainly contributes to deaths from heart disease a bigger killer than lung cancer. Breathing other peoples smoke increases the risk of mouth and throat cancers and heart disease, and makes chest problems and allergies worse. Children exposed to smoking may suffer damaging effects such as serious respiratory illness, asthma and middle-ear disease. Second-hand smoke is also linked to sudden infant death syndrome (a doubling of risk). The Royal College of Physicians believes that up to 17,000 hospital admissions a year of children underfive are due to their parents smoking. Women who smoke while pregnant are likely to reduce the birth weight, and damage the health, of their baby. Why cant I just cut down on the fags gradually? It sounds like a good idea, but its difficult. Youll just take more and deeper puffs to get the nicotine hit you crave. Decide to quit, set a date, an
