Asthma and passive smoking

You probably already know that if you have asthma, you shouldn't smoke. But what about the effects of passive smoking?

How passive smoking affects you

• Cigarette smoke contains more than 4000 chemicals, including carbon monoxide, ammonia and arsenic, and includes carcinogens (cancer-causing chemicals).
• If you have asthma, exposure to other people's tobacco smoke — environmental tobacco smoke — can trigger an asthma attack, and it can increase the number of attacks you might have.
• If people smoke around you it can increase your lungs' sensitivity to other asthma triggers, such as pollen or dust mites.
• Passive smoking might reduce your lung function if you have asthma.
• Exposure to other people's smoke might increase your need for asthma medications.
• Not only is passive smoking associated with asthma, but it has also been linked to lung cancer, heart conditions and lower respiratory illnesses.

How passive smoking affects your children

• If you smoke during pregnancy, you increase your baby's chances of having lung problems such as asthma.
• Passive smoking is a significant factor in the development of childhood asthma. Exposure to passive smoking may trigger asthma in children who are already genetically predisposed to the condition.
• Your children are more likely to suffer from ear infections, serious chest infections, wheezing and coughing if you are a smoker.
• Children with asthma who are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke take longer to recover from asthma symptoms than those not exposed.

What you can do

• Don't smoke.
• Minimise your exposure to tobacco smoke by putting ‘no smoking’ signs up in your home and work environments to encourage family, friends and colleagues to be smoke-free around you.
• Request non-smoking areas when dining out or travelling to help reduce your exposure.
• In Australia, most work places, restaurants and other public areas are now smoke-free by law, and in some states it is against the law to smoke in cars if children under 16 years are present.
• If you are unable to avoid a smoky area, take your reliever medication before you are exposed.
• Keep your day-to-day asthma under control. Well-controlled asthma means you are better equipped to deal effectively with exposure to passive smoking.

myDr, 2001
© Copyright: myDr, UBM Medica Australia, 2000-2010. All rights reserved.

Last Reviewed: 12 August 2009