Thanks to scientific research done around the 1960’s, we know the harmful effects smoking has on a smoker’s body, but many people don’t realize how harmful this habit can be to other people: people who don’t smoke. Second-hand smoke is an inevitable poison that almost everyone is exposed to at some point in their lifetime. Unfortunately, even without smoking, we are still unprotected from the harmful effects of tobacco smoke.

Bill Nye explains the impact of smoke on a smokers body. Image the effects it has on that of someone who hasn't even picked up a cigarette.

Second-hand smoke can put people of any age at risk. Smoke can often make it feel difficult to breath, but it can also cause severe asthma attacks and trigger heart attacks, even if someone is only in contact with the smoke for a short period of time. In fact, about 33,950 people die each year because of second-hand smoke causing heart problems. The harsh reality is that those 33,950 people did not smoke; they were effected by others who chose to put the harsh chemical produced by cigarettes in the air.

One of the most unfortunate groups affected by second-hand smoke is unborn babies. Smoking while pregnant can not only put the smoker at risk, but the infant at risk as well. Smoking while pregnant can compromise the growth of the child, dramatically increasing the likelihood of premature birth or birth to a child who weighs far less than average.

Another devastating statistic about mothers who smoke while pregnant is that smoking more than doubles the likelihood of stillbirth. It also increases the chance of your baby having a disability that can affect them for their entire life. What is most unfortunate about this situation is that unborn babies are helpless. They have no way to defend themselves from the deadly chemicals and they are far more likely to run into difficulties because of decisions that were made for them.

Even once children are born, they can be damaged by second-hand smoke. Asthma can develop in children who encounter tobacco smoke, causing them to have harsh, and sometimes fatal, asthma attacks. Many children have no way to escape the harm because parents may smoke in their house or even in the small, confined space of their car. Second-hand smoke is so harmful to children, it is as if they are the ones smoking the cigarette.

Believe it or not, smoking can bring a lot of harm to pets as well. Smoking in your home, when you have pets puts them at a greater risk of developing lung problems. Some animals, such as dogs, even get lung cancer from secondhand smoke. Like infants, animals have no way to prevent their bodies from being exposed to smoke. They are usually confined to the house for a majority of the day, forced to inhale the secondhand smoke that lingers for hours.

Smokers either cannot find help to quit, are blind to the side effects of second-hand smoke, or ignore the fact that they are bringing harm to innocent people. In any case, it is important to realize that, by smoking, thousands of people are being put in harm’s way, regardless of their age or how often they are exposed to second-hand smoke.