The dangers of passive smoking

Passive smoking can cause discomfort that is obviously felt more by smokers than by non-smokers: irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, headaches, dizziness and nausea, altered sense of taste and smell, persistent odor impregnating clothing, hair and fabrics... Beyond this discomfort, passive smoking increases the risk of various diseases in adults, proportional to the duration and intensity of exposure: heart attacks, cancer of the lung or facial sinuses, chronic respiratory problems, strokes, asthma attacks... The dangers are also very real for the foetus: reduction in the average weight of the newborn, harmful effects on lung growth and the development of the cardiovascular system, increased risk of certain malformations... Pregnant women exposed to other people's smoke suffer the same effects as a small amount of maternal smoking.

Finally, the health of the child of a smoker is jeopardized: higher perinatal mortality, nicotine withdrawal syndrome (if the mother smokes more than 10 cigarettes a day), increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome, of developing respiratory problems during the first years of life, and of early and severe nicotine dependence in adolescence.