Some people might enjoy smoking cigarettes and they may be ready to face the consequences. But what about the one’s around them? From Kids to pregnant women... people around the smokers are the ones who pay a heavy penalty for their addiction. Passive or Second hand smoking is as dangerous as the first hand smoking. Here is why!

Children: Children who are in constant company of smokers tend to acquire all sorts of respiratory diseases. Particularly if you are smoking before a baby less than two years... please do remember that you might alter his respiratory life forever. From Bronchitis to Asthma... children get prone to severe respiratory ailments. They get easily affected with cough, cold and phlegm.

Pregnant women: It’s not just the women who smoke during their pregnancy are responsible for complications in their delivery. Women who are in company of a constant smoker are also prone to too many hitches. They might pose the risk of miscarriage, still birth and premature birth. Even if the child is born... he might be of much lower weight. Even if he is of enough weight... he might be susceptible to unexpected death syndromes.

Passengers: As cars are enclosed, the chemicals from the cigar often hover inside it. According to an estimate, children in such cars are exposed to around three times higher than the normal pollution levels. This is the reason why many countries such as England have banned smoking in cars with children below 18 years of age.

Pets: People might complain at your smoking... but pets can’t. They would just die! Researchers have found that passive smoking is much dangerous to pets than to humans. Scientists at the University of Glasgow have found pets getting prone to weight gain, cell damage and cancer. Pets spend much of their time of carpets and sofa which retains the nicotine particles. Further cats and dogs clean their body by licking... which lets the harmful chemicals into their bodies.

People in the room: Smokers often leave most of the smoke into the room which alters its atmosphere. The particles from the poisonous chemicals hang in the air for longer times... which are of course inhaled by the rest. Such side stream smoke contains much higher levels of chemicals such as carbon monoxide and ammonia. Such chemicals are known to be a cause for ailments such as lung cancers.

- Nirjara.