Smoke Free Homes
Aside from your own health benefits, becoming smoke free also helps protects your loved ones.
Smoking produces second hand smoke- often called passive smoking- and has potential health harms to anyone exposed to it. Secondhand smoke is especially dangerous for children and even any family pets.
Smoking is also a common cause of house fires.
Protection from Secondhand Smoke:
The smoke from cigarettes, pipes, and cigars can remain in the air for hours, exposing everyone in the home to harmful toxins. Even if you go outside to smoke or open up windows, the smoke still gets back into the house. The harmful toxins can linger in a room for several hours afterwards and even seep to other rooms and under doors. It can also remain on carpets, curtains and other soft furnishings long after it has disappeared from the air.
Health Risks:
If even someone doesn’t smoke, secondhand smoke increases the risk of lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke in adults.
Children exposed to smoke are more prone to chest illnesses, asthma, pneumonia, ear infections, and have a higher risk of cot death. They are also more likely to start smoking themselves when older.
Household Pets
Did you know that dogs and cats can also be harmed by secondhand smoke? Cats suffer even more than dogs because toxic smoke particles settle on their fur and cats can swallow these when they groom themselves.
Birds have very sensitive respiratory systems so second hand smoke can be distressing. Fish are affected as the toxins in cigarette smoke can dissolve into their water. Other pets, like rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters or any animals living inside your home, are also potentially harmed by secondhand smoke.
Ashtray contents and cigarette butts are also a risk to your pet. This is because cigarette waste contains heavy metals and toxins that if accidentally eaten would be harmful and possibly fatal.
Our pets can suffer from the same conditions that secondhand smoke causes in humans- such as cancers and breathing problems. Follow this link for a real life story about a pet affected by its owner’s cigarette smoking. Alvin’s asthma is on the mend – PDSA
Reduced Fire Risk:
If you are a smoker, you will have heard many reasons for quitting. But have you ever considered the fire risk from smoking? Smoking-related house fires are more likely to cause death and injury than any other cause of house fire. Tobacco is manufactured to stay alight, meaning it can remain smouldering and start a fire.
Quitting is the best way to remove this fire risk- both for you and for those you live with. Speak to one of our advisors to get help with becoming smoke free.