Secondhand Smoke: How to Protect Your Family and Kids

⚠️ SMOKING KILLS — and secondhand smoke kills non-smokers too. There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. To protect your family, the best step is to quit: call Quitline 13 78 48 or visit quit.org.au.

What is secondhand smoke?

Secondhand (passive) smoke is the combination of smoke from the burning end of a cigarette plus smoke exhaled by the smoker. It contains the same 7,000+ chemicals as inhaled smoke, including at least 69 carcinogens — and non-smokers breathing it face serious health risks.

How secondhand smoke harms adults

• Lung cancer: living with a smoker raises a non-smoker’s lung cancer risk by around 20–30%.
• Heart disease and stroke: regular exposure damages blood vessels and increases clotting.
• Breathing problems: aggravated asthma, bronchitis and eye, nose and throat irritation.

How secondhand smoke harms children

Children are the most vulnerable victims because their lungs and immune systems are still developing and they breathe faster than adults:

• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS): babies exposed to smoke face a higher risk.
• Asthma: more frequent and more severe asthma attacks; smoke can trigger asthma in previously healthy children.
• Chest infections: more bronchitis, pneumonia and middle-ear infections (glue ear).
• Slower lung growth: lasting effects on lung development.

Pregnant women should also avoid smoke entirely — see Smoking During Pregnancy: Risks Every Parent Must Know.

Myths that put families at risk

• “Smoking in another room is fine.” False — smoke drifts through doors and ventilation systems.
• “Opening a window clears it.” False — most smoke remains, and opening a car window barely helps.
• “Air purifiers remove it.” False — they cannot remove all gases and fine particles.
• “Thirdhand smoke isn’t real.” False — toxic residue lingers on walls, furniture, clothes and car seats for months.

In Australia, smoking in cars with children is illegal in every state and territory — with good reason.

5 practical steps to protect your family

1. Make your home and car 100% smoke-free — no exceptions, even when kids aren’t present.
2. Smoke well away from doors and windows if you must smoke, and change clothes afterwards.
3. Never smoke around pregnant women, babies or children — including outdoors near prams.
4. Ask visitors to smoke outside, away from the house.
5. Quit smoking — the only way to fully remove the risk. Start with How to Quit Smoking in Australia.

Secondhand Smoke: The Best Protection Is Quitting

Children of parents who quit have fewer infections, fewer asthma attacks and are themselves less likely to take up smoking. Our Quit Smoking Support page lists free Australian services, and the quit timeline shows how quickly everyone’s health improves.

Related reading

• Smoking Kills: The Real Health Cost of Every Cigarette
• Smoking During Pregnancy: Risks Every Parent Must Know
• How to Quit Smoking in Australia: A Step-by-Step Guide
• The True Cost of Smoking in Australia

Secondhand smoke harms everyone it touches — quitting protects your whole family. See free quit support and smoking FAQs.

Remember: understanding secondhand smoke is the first step to protecting yourself and the people you love.

Secondhand Smoke – Key Takeaway

Secondhand smoke has no safe level: keep homes and cars 100% smoke-free, never smoke near children or pregnant women, and remember quitting is the only full fix. Call Quitline 13 78 48 for free family-centred help today.

Protect the people you love from secondhand smoke starting today: declare your home and car smoke-free zones, ask visitors to smoke outside, and call Quitline 13 78 48 for free help quitting together.

Smoking kills. Strictly 18+. For free help to quit, call Quitline on 13 78 48 or visit quit.org.au.