Smokers, here’s a gift you can give your loved ones for Christmas: Quit smoking, and protect children and the rest of your family from dangerous tobacco smoke pollution (TSP).

Clean indoor air can be a challenge to maintain during winter months. In frigid temperatures, fresh air barely enters our homes when doors are hastily opened and shut. And in winter, we spend more than 90 percent of our time indoors.

Tobacco smoke pollution occurs mainly in enclosed spaces. Of the many sources of indoor air pollution, in smoking households, TSP is a major cause of contamination.

Children and seniors are especially susceptible; children, because they are growing and developing, and seniors, because of their weaker immune systems.

It is estimated that more than 50 percent of children worldwide are exposed to TSP in their homes. The range of effects in children who are exposed to TSP include an increased risk of upper and lower respiratory tract infections, inner ear infections, and an increase in number and severity of asthmatic episodes.

There is also evidence that TSP increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome and lung cancer later in life, even for those who have never smoked.

Behavioral effects from TSP are another concern. According to a Canadian study reported in the journal Addictive Behaviors, the health effects of secondhand tobacco smoke exposure on children can cause symptoms that reflect nicotine dependence: depressed mood, trouble sleeping, irritability, anxiety and restlessness, trouble concentrating and increased appetite.

While tobacco smoke is not the only source of indoor air pollution, it is one that is completely in our control. Simply don’t smoke in your home or car and don’t allow others to smoke there either. Smoking outside can be a challenge when temps are below freezing. Given the health risks to those breathing around you, it is well worth the trouble of bundling up and smoking outside.

source: www.recordonline.com

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