Most everyone knows smoking is bad news, but secondhand smoke gets less hype although it causes just as sobering health problems for non-smokers, especially for young people. Yet every day, millions of children inhale smoker's air.

Studies suggest that exposing fetuses, infants, and small children to smoke, whether indoors or outside, can cause damaging, life-long effects. Because their developing bodies and higher breathing rates make them more vulnerable to smoke, exposed children suffer more cases of asthma, respiratory infections like bronchitis and pneumonia, and lung cancer.

"This research has a message for every parent," said pediatrician Kent Pinkerton of the University of California, Davis. "Do not smoke or breathe secondhand smoke while you are pregnant. Do not let your children breathe secondhand smoke after they are born."

Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, 60 of which are known carcinogens. According to the Mayo Clinic, a small child who spends just one hour in a very smoky room inhales as many dangerous chemicals as if she had smoked 10 or more cigarettes. The 2006 Surgeon General's Report estimates that more than 126 million U.S. children ages 3 or older are exposed to secondhand smoke. Almost a quarter of children under 18 are exposed to secondhand smoke in their own home.

Led by Pinkerton, scientists have recently found out more about how seriously secondhand smoke hurts babies. During a critical stage of lung development, tobacco smoke wreaks havoc. Cigarette smoke irreversibly damages the lungs of unborn and newborn children and can cause permanent asthma-like conditions.

"This is the missed message about secondhand smoke and children," said Pinkerton, an author of the study. "Parents need to understand that these effects will not go away. If children do not grow healthy lungs when they are supposed to, they will likely never recover."

Some U.S. states have taken the initiative to snuff out secondhand smoke before it can cause damage. In Arkansas and Louisiana, it's illegal to smoke in a car with young passengers. Legislators in California are considering a bill, AB 379, where any smoking driver or passenger with a young child in the car would receive $100 fine, according to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle. (A similar bill died in Pennsylvania 11 years ago.) Currently in California, smoking is prohibited within 25 feet of a playground or sandbox.

Branches of the U.S federal government are slowly working towards protecting air, too. Healthy People 2010 is an initiative by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to improve health, and help Americans cut secondhand smoke out of their lives. The department has created a toolkit with lists of helpful resources, suggestions for clean indoor air policies, and other information about secondhand smoke, while more information can be found at the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, or American Lung Association.

You can take small steps to insure that children you love are breathing safely. Don't let anyone smoke in your home or car or near your children. Talk to teachers and day care providers about keeping the places your children spend time in smoke-free. Switching on a HEPA air filter will help remove particles from the air. Fill your home with houseplants that soak up contaminated air. Picnic in the fresh air and support smoke-free restaurants.

Image: Harvard University