| Tobacco Smoke and Your Health
If you live with, work with, or socialize with people who smoke
around you, you are a smoker – even if you never pick up a
cigarette. When people smoke around you, you breathe in the smoke
that they breathe out. Whether you are a smoker or a nonsmoker,
being around tobacco smoke puts you at risk for the following health
problems:
Cancer – Lung cancer is dangerous because
it can hide for years. The cancer has spread to other places like
the brain, bones, or other organs by the time it’s found.
Then it’s too late. Tobacco smoke also causes cancers of the
mouth, throat, pancreas, cervix, kidney, and bladder.
Emphysema – This disease damages the lungs
and cannot be cured once you get it. Every breath becomes a struggle.
If you get emphysema, your body does not get the oxygen it needs.
This lack of oxygen damages other organs including the heart. Emphysema
is sometimes called the disease that smothers. This is because you
feel like you can’t get any air into your lungs.
Heart disease – Breathing tobacco smoke increases
your risk of getting heart disease. It lowers the amount of blood
that goes through your body. This affects the way all of your organs
work.
Asthma and Allergies – Tobacco smoke is the
most common trigger of asthma symptoms. When a person with asthma
is around tobacco smoke, they will continue to have asthma problems
even if they are on the right medications.
Children & Tobacco Smoke
Medical studies show that children living with people who smoke
have more health problems. These children have more health problems
than children who are not around tobacco smoke. They include:
- Visits to the doctor.
- Ear infections.
- Breathing problems.
- Risk of developing asthma.
- Visits to the emergency room.
If you would like more information about smoking and your health,
call Dori Livy, RN, Preventive Health Case Manager, at 502-585-8351
or 1-800-578-0603 ext. 8351. If you are a person with a hearing
impairment call 1-800-691-5566 TDD/TTY.
 Tips
to Protect Your Health and Your Family’s Health
If You Don’t Smoke
- Don’t allow smoking in your home.
- Help smokers in your household to quit.
- Ask smokers not to smoke in cars when you or your children are
passengers.
- Sit in nonsmoking sections of restaurants and public transportation.
- If you do not have a smoke-free workplace, ask for one.
If You Do Smoke
- Go outdoors to smoke.
- Don’t smoke in a car with nonsmokers.
- Talk with your provider about quitting.
- Check with your local health department about helping you become
a nonsmoker.
- If you have a computer check out the American Lung Associations’
Freedom from Smoking
Program at www.lungusa.org/ffs.
Start this free online program when you are ready to become a nonsmoker.
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