Passive smoking has the same effects on its innocent victims as it does on those who actually smoke.
It increases their risk of heart disease by 25% and risk of lung cancer by 24%.
It also increases their risk of respiratory disease and exacerbates any chest problems they may already have.
In short, it causes hundreds of unnecessary deaths each year.
As adults, who wish to prevent this, we are on the whole able to choose to stay away from places filled with smoke and smokers.
However children of those who smoke are not so lucky and through their childhood will inhale huge amounts of secondhand smoke.
Some will start this in utero, before they are even born causing them to be small and vulnerable at birth.
Unbelievably, some mothers actually contest that having a small baby is better so will smoke during pregnancy to make this possible regardless of the health issues involved for the baby and herself.
The risks due to passive smoking for a child are immense, they are twice as likely to die as a result of cot death if their mother smokes, the risk of meningitis is increased and obviously the risks of respiratory disease, pneumonia, bronchitis and the one we are all aware of, asthma, become more evident.
Smoke fumes even in a well ventilated room will linger for more than two hours after it has been exhaled giving ample time for it to be breathed in many times by a child living in the environment.
The long term damage thus caused can affect a child for life.
Therefore a smoke free home is the only way to prevent these long-term problems and damaged health.