Arguments against having parents smoking in a household with children?

Question

I'd like to argue against my parents against smoking in the house, mostly for my health and those of my younger brother and older sister. Does anyone have any good points to bring up? Statistical info on things like sidestream smoke? Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Here's a long, long list :]
Check out the source for some more.
Also, I looked up second-hand smoke on google and found lots of info.
Enjoy ;]

Secondhand smoke has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a known cause of cancer in humans (Group A carcinogen).2
Secondhand smoke exposure causes disease and premature death in children and adults who do not smoke. Secondhand smoke contains hundreds of chemicals known to be toxic or carcinogenic, including formaldehyde, benzene, vinyl chloride, arsenic ammonia and hydrogen cyanide.3
Secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,400 lung cancer deaths and 22,700-69,600 heart disease deaths in adult nonsmokers in the United States each year.4
A study found that nonsmokers exposed to environmental smoke were 25 percent more likely to have coronary heart diseases compared to nonsmokers not exposed to smoke.5
Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at work are at increased risk for adverse health effects. Levels of ETS in restaurants and bars were found to be 2 to 5 times higher than in residences with smokers and 2 to 6 times higher than in office workplaces.6
Since 1999, 70 percent of the U.S. workforce worked under a smoke-free policy, ranging from 83.9 percent in Utah to 48.7 percent in Nevada.7 Workplace productivity was increased and absenteeism was decreased among former smokers compared with current smokers.8
Currently, 14 states including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have already passed strong smoke-free air laws.9
As of 2005, nine smoke-free states prohibit smoking in almost all workplaces, including restaurants and bars (CA, CT, DE, ME, MA, NY, RI, VT and WA).10
Secondhand smoke is especially harmful to young children. Secondhand smoke is responsible for between 150,000 and 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections in infants and children under 18 months of age, resulting in between 7,500 and 15,000 hospitalizations each year, and causes 1,900 to 2,700 sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) deaths in the United States annually.11
Secondhand smoke exposure may cause buildup of fluid in the middle ear, resulting in 700,000 to 1.6 million physician office visits per year.12 Secondhand smoke can also aggravate symptoms in 400,000 to 1,000,000 children with asthma.13
In the United States, 21 million, or 35 percent of, children live in homes where residents or visitors smoke in the home on a regular basis.14 Approximately 50-75 percent of children in the United States have detectable levels of cotinine, the breakdown product of nicotine in the blood.15
New research indicates that private research conducted by cigarette company Philip Morris in the 1980s showed that secondhand smoke was highly toxic, yet the company suppressed the finding during the next two decades.16
The current Surgeon General's Report concluded that scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to second hand smoke. Short exposures to second hand smoke can cause blood platelets to become stickier, damage the lining of blood vessels, decrease coronary flow velocity reserves, and reduce heart rate variability, potentially increasing the risk of heart attack.17

Answer 2

I had to grow up with my parents both smoking, even in my bedroom, it was terrible. What made it worse was waking up to it, to me, it was like waking up to find someone forcing a pillow against me. Second hand smoking was like asking for death. Fortunately, my mother finally quit, she saw how I suffered - I became physically allergic to it.

State why and how it's been affecting you and your siblings. State how it's bad not just for your physical well being, but mental health as well. They should also know that it's a bad image for you all when going to class and they can all smell the smoke. It's not a good thing when teachers ask you if you have been smoking. If it gets serious enough, after some time, you may want to call a parent-teacher conference (mabe even with a counselour, parents always listen to those with a degree behind their words) to talk on the subject.

I wish you the best of luck,
Melz

Answer 3

Children and Teens
Countless studies have proven that secondhand smoke affects the health of children. Both the Surgeon General and the EPA strongly urge that no one smoke in the presence of children. Studies show that children exposed to cigarette smoke in the home have more upper respiratory infections and more difficulty recovering from these infections. These children may have more problems with chronic cough and chronic middle-ear infections. Children in households where one or both parents smoke have twice the amount of bronchitis, pneumonia and are hospitalized more frequently before their first birthday than children of non-smoking parents.

If both parents smoke, teens are more likely to become smokers themselves. Teenage smoking is a major health problem. Teenagers tend to underestimate how addictive smoking can be. There is concern that some teenagers may become addicted with smoking only one pack of cigarettes.

Answer 4

If you are old enough to move out & live on your own, then do it. I stopped smoking in the house because my youngest daughter was getting ear infections all the time. Then that was by my choice. I wanted what was best for her.

Ask your parents in a rational & calm way to smoke outside etc.. to lower your risk. Causing a big deal about it could have very negative effects. It is something that will not happen over night be patient.

Answer 5

Tell them you have smokers lungs becausae you smoke, because you are breathing in their smoke. Sometimes you feel a little dizzy from the carbon monoxide from those cigarettes and they stink. Also, you don't want to have health issues because of their cigarettes. Also, how about their own health? Both my parents have died, If they did not smoke, they would both be alive today. There is medication that can help them quit, they could be smoke free in 3 months. It is called Chantix! It works.

Answer 6

It's been well-known that second-hand smoke (the one that gets exhaled) is carcinogenic,it causes cancer. Sadly, I think today's culture in some countries seem to show that parents have no concern about that. My sister used to smoke but she doesn't do it in front of the kids, thankfully she gave it up. I used to smoke a lot but I quit too, because it would be a bad example to the kids at home.

Answer 7

Definatly NO smoking in the house. Second hand smoke causes asmatha, and even cancer. What sort of grandparents would smoke indoors????

http://www.cancer.ca/ccs/internet/standard/0,3182,3172_13127__langId-en,00.html


Here is a site for you to check out.

Your parents should be ashamed of putting you and your children in such an enviroment

Answer 8

have your MD and their MD do a test that is similar to an Asthma peak flow test. When your capacity is at 70% of your peer group and theirs is at 50%, not only will they have an incentive for not doing it in the house, but they will have tangible data that show what the effects are to both you and them. It may be the thing to stop them in general.

Otherwise they'll end up like the wheel chair guy in the movie Millennium.

Answer 9

1) Increased chances of asthma, lung cancer, and allergies (just to name a few)

2) Poor habits--introducing them and enforcing smoking will often lead children to smoke at a younger age and be more willing to try other drugs/alcohol.

3) Unclean

4) Awkward for kids at school--how do you explain when their clothes always smell like smoke?

Answer 10

From what i have read.It'salmost as bad as smoking yourself
The smoke lingers in the air for along time

Answer 11

Secondhand smoke kills at least as many people per year as actual smoking does. If they want to kill themselves, that's okay. They shouldn't have to make it a murder-suicide.

Kids whose parents smoke are more likely to smoke themselves. My bro and I both do, and neither of us ever thought we would. I bet your parents don't want you doing it...do as they say and not as they do, so to speak.