In accordance with the KVC Nebraska Child Placing Agency Guidebook, all KVC foster parents will provide a safe and comfortable environment for children/youth to live in to include abstaining from smoking in the home.  The following is a brief overview of the dangers of smoking and secondhand smoke and why kids and smoke don’t mix.

Dangers of Smoking

• Smokers breathe in over 4,000 chemicals
• Hundreds are hazardous
• More than 50 cause cancer

Secondhand Smoke

What’s in it?

• Carbon monoxide
• Arsenic
• Benzene
• Formaldehyde
• Many other toxic chemicals

Smoke Drifts

• Going outside to smoke may not protect kids inside if the smoke drifts back in
• Cigarette Butts are toxic to children

Smoke Sticks Around

• Smoke leaves behind a toxic film, sometimes called thirdhand smoke
• It gets on things that children touch
• It releases toxins back into the air
• Can trigger asthma attacks

Why Are We So Concerned About Kids & Smoke?

• According to the Surgeon General there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke

Health Effects of Smoke on Kids

• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
• Pneumonia, bronchitis
• Sore throats, colds
• Asthma
• Allergies
• Ear infections
• More dental cavities

Effects on Learning

• Shorter attention span
• Behavior problems
• Lower IQ
• Lower test scores

What Can You Do? Be a Role Model

• Don’t smoke
• If you do smoke, quit!

*All of the above information was provided by First 5 California