Smoke-free Homes
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                               From saving a
                               baby bird to
                               coaching a
                               soccer team,
                               moms, dads
                               and caregivers
                               are the heroes
                               children look
                               up to everyday.
                               You too can
                               become a
                               child's hero by
                               keeping a
                               smoke-free
home and car. Secondhand smoke can cause
children to suffer bronchitis, pneumonia, ear
infections and more severe asthma attacks. Read
More...

Join the millions of people who are protecting their
children from secondhand smoke.
                       Pledge to Keep Your Home and Car Smoke-
                       free in 3 easy steps:

                          1.  Go to the Pledge Page and read helpful
                             information on making your home and car
                             smoke-free.

                          2.  Simply enter your five digit zip code and
                             push the submit button. (Your pledge is
                             completely anonymous).

                          3.  You're done! You can even get your own
                             Smoke-free Home Pledge Certificate by
                             double-clicking on the certificate.  Proudly
                             display this to let your children, family and
                             visitors know you have  taken an important
                             step to keep your home and car smoke-
                             free.
Secondhand
Smoke Can Make
Children Suffer
Serious Health
Risks

Breathing secondhand
smoke can be harmful to
children's health including
asthma, Sudden Infant
Death Syndrome (SIDS),
bronchitis and
pneumonia and ear
infections. Children's
exposure to secondhand
smoke is responsible for:

    •  increases in the
      number of asthma
      attacks and
      severity of
      symptoms in
      200,000 to 1
      million children
      with asthma
    •  between 150,000
      and 300,000 lower
      respiratory tract
      infections (for
      children under 18
      months of age)
    •  respiratory tract
      infections resulting
      in 7,500 to 15,000
      hospitalizations
      each year.

The developing lungs of
young children are
severely affected by
exposure to secondhand
smoke for several
reasons including that
children are still
developing physically,
have higher breathing
rates than adults, and
have little control over
their indoor
environments. Children
http ://www. epa.gov/smokefree/
                                                                   9/1/2004

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Smoke-free Homes
Page 2 of 2
                                                                       receiving high doses of
                                                                       secondhand smoke, such
                                                                       as those with smoking
                                                                       mothers, run the greatest
                                                                       risk of damaging health
                                                                       effects.

                                                                       A few basic actions can
                                                                       protect children from
                                                                       secondhand smoke:

                                                                           • Choose not to
                                                                             smoke  in your
                                                                             home and car and
                                                                             do not allow family
                                                                             and visitors to do
                                                                             so. Infants and
                                                                             toddlers are
                                                                             especially
                                                                             vulnerable to the
                                                                             health risks from
                                                                             secondhand
                                                                             smoke.
                                                                           • Do not  allow
                                                                             childcare providers
                                                                             or others who work
                                                                             in your home to
                                                                             smoke.
                                                                           • Until you can
                                                                             quit, choose to
                                                                             smoke outside.
                                                                             Moving to another
                                                                             room or opening a
                                                                             window is not
                                                                             enough to protect
                                                                             your children.

                                                                       For more information on
                                                                       secondhand smoke, see
                                                                       EPA publications and
                                                                       Take the Smoke-free
                                                                       Home Pledge 1 -866-
                                                                       SMOKE-FREE (1-866-
                                                                       766-5337)
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                                            Last updated on Tuesday, July 13th, 2004
                                             URL: http://www.epa.gov/smokefree/
http ://www. epa.gov/smokefree/
  9/1/2004

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