You do not smoke and you avoid being around people that do. Yet, your mother, uncle and several cousins do smoke, putting you and your children at risk of inhaling secondhand smoke. Also known as environmental smoke, secondhand smoke can lead to lung cancer and may also cause breast cancer. For these reasons alone, avoiding smoking situations is important to your health and for those that you love. Here is how you can avoid secondhand smoke.
Outdoors Only
Have a consistent policy where smokers may take up their habit, but only outside. That means on a deck, a front sidewalk or somewhere in the yard. You do not want to allow people to smoke anywhere near the house — if they smoke near a ventilation system, smoke can be drawn into your home, putting everyone at risk.
Make it easier for people to smoke outside by providing an ashtray in the designated smoking space. Ask your guests to remain in the vicinity of the tray while they are smoking.
Watch the Kids
Uncle Harry and Grandma are fun loving people, individuals that your children love to be around. Make it known to them that you welcome that interaction, but not when either one is smoking advises Vape It Now.
When loved ones head outside to smoke, your children should stay inside until the smoking session has ended. Although outside smoking dissipates better and faster than inside, your children may still be impacted.
Invite Smokers to Quit
If you love your smokers, you will encourage them to quit. Not by nagging, but by offering your support. That support can take many forms including by purchasing nicotine gum for them, taking this individual to a support group for quitting smokers, and by offering moral support.
No smoker, however, will quit unless they want to. Keep your offer out there and continue to love them without conditions. Some day, they may be won over by your genuine care and their personal desire to quit.
Keep the Car Off Limits
For an odd and unknown reason, some people feel that they can light up in your car even when they know that smoking in your home is off bounds. You need to hold firm to keeping your car a smoke free environment even when children are not present.
The residual smell of smoke permeates everything including the cloth seats, the carpeting and the headliner. That smell can cause allergies and make your children sick. Besides, as the driver you too will be affected by environmental smoke.
Avoid Certain Public Places
Many cities now have smoking bans. That means that patrons cannot light up in restaurants, bars and other public places. This is good news for people that need to pick and choose their dining locations.
Without a smoking ban in place, the stakes have been raised. That means you need to find places to go that do not allow smoking. If a favorite restaurant has a smoking section, you may still be affected. Politely voice your displeasure to the manager and explain that under these circumstances you will have to dine elsewhere.
Smoking Considerations
Some people feel uncomfortable instituting a smoke-free policy at home and elsewhere. A quick look at statistics supplied by the American Cancer Society will back up your concerns and give you the resolve to hold your ground.
For instance, an estimated 42,000 people die each year from heart disease due to environmental smoke. Another 3,400 contract lung cancer and die. Asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory infections are also attributed to environmental smoke. Moreover, children are more likely to spend time in intensive care when they have the flu if they live in an environment where secondhand smoke is prevalent.
