Genesee County Health Department

Better Life Through Better Health

Secondhand smoke exposure causes about one million asthma attacks each year. In addition, as many as 26,000 new cases of childhood asthma annually have been linked to secondhand smoke. Asthma is a lung disease that occurs in people with sensitive airways that react severely to things that irritate them. Children with asthma are especially vulnerable to secondhand smoke.

When a person without asthma inhales an irritant, the airways contract or clamp down to protect the lungs. The airways will eventually relax as the lungs become accustomed to the irritant. When the airways of an asthmatic try to relax, spasms occur and the airways will open and close repeatedly. This causes swelling, leading to the typical asthma symptoms of coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and a tight feeling in the chest. Because children often have no control over their environment, secondhand smoke is hard to avoid. Regular exposure can increase the number and severity of asthma attacks. Exposure to the smoke of as few as ten cigarettes a day can increase a child’s chance of developing asthma for the first time.

To avoid secondhand smoke, here are a few tips:

• If you smoke, quit.
• Don’t allow smoking in your home, office, and car, especially near children.
• Visit smoke-free restaurants. If your favorite restaurant is not smoke-free, ask them to consider it.
• Learn about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). ADA requires all public and private places to be readily accessible and safe to people with breathing disabilities.

This is one of a number of columns to appear that will address health issues of secondhand smoke. For more information about secondhand smoke or help to stop smoking, call (810) 257-3612.