Secondhand "Smoke" Kills by Priscilla

There has to be a way to stop smoking advertisements directed towards the youth. Secondhand smoke doesn't just disappear when leaving your mouth, remember that we all breathe the air in which smokers contaminate by smoking. Second hand smoke is a mixture of gases and fine particles that are bad for our bodies. Second hand smoke is not portrayed as seriously as it should be. Most exposure to secondhand smoke occurs in homes and workplaces. Meaning that smokers not only kill themselves but also kill their loved ones.

Each day, more than 3,200 people under the age of 18 smoke their first cigarette. Meaning that millions of children alive today will ultimately die early in life from smoking. Although some teens are old enough to make their own health decisions, not all children can speak up and tell the person sitting next to them to stop smoking. Second hand smoke exposes children to illnesses including  ear infections, asthma, and other breathing problems. Infants have no say in what happens around them and they are just one more generation in which we need to speak up for when it comes to smoking.

Some people might say smoking relieves stress and betters moods. Some might even say it does not affect our surrounding public. But in fact, smoking is proven to produce secondhand smoke that affects other people.  Smoking might relieve stress, but between 70% and 90% of non-smokers in America are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke, meaning they are more susceptible to contract smoking causing diseases such as lung cancer.

Secondhand smoke affects people who are potentially the people you love and care for. Second hand smoke is just as serious indoors than outdoors. I believe that smoking should not only be prohibited inside restaurants but also away from outdoor patios at restaurants no family should have to be exposed to harsh chemicals from an outside smoker. The solution is to cut tobacco out of your life entirely.The next time you decide to smoke, just think of the people you could be killing.