Smoke-Free Home & Car Pledge
Take the Smoke-Free Home & Car Pledge and protect your children and pets from secondhand smoke.
There are TWO ways to take the Smoke-Free Pledge:
ONE:
E-mail SmokeFree Dutchess to request a FREE Smoke-Free Home & Car Pledge Kit by mail. This kit includes the Decals shown below to display your commitment to remain Smoke-Free in your Home and in your Car. Be sure to include your mailing address with your email request.
TWO:
Go to www.epa.gov/smokefree and follow the links to make your pledge for the health of your children at the EPA website.
Once you pledge, you can:
 |
- Print out your Smoke-free Home Pledge Certificate to display in your home
- Learn more tips on keeping a smoke-free home and car
- Get information on how to order the FREE EPA Smoke-Free Home Kit
|
This FREE EPA Smoke-Free Home Kit includes the following Smoke-free Zone awards:
- picture frame magnet to display your favorite photos
- beverage coasters for family and friends to use
- window decal for the home or car
|
Secondhand Smoke Can Make Children Suffer Serious Health Risks
Breathing secondhand smoke can be harmful to children's health including asthma, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), bronchitis and pneumonia and ear infections. Children's exposure to secondhand smoke is responsible for: (1) increases in the number of asthma attacks and severity of symptoms in 200,000 to 1 million children with asthma; (2) between 150,000 and 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections (for children under 18 months of age); and, (3) respiratory tract infections resulting in 7,500 to 15,000 hospitalizations each year.
The developing lungs of young children are severely affected by exposure to secondhand smoke for several reasons including that children are still developing physically, have higher breathing rates than adults, and have little control over their indoor environments. Children receiving high doses of secondhand smoke, such as those with smoking mothers, run the greatest risk of damaging health effects.
A few basic actions can protect children from secondhand smoke:
- Choose not to smoke in your home and car and do not allow family and visitors to do so. Infants and toddlers are especially vulnerable to the health risks from secondhand smoke.
- Do not allow childcare providers or others who work in your home to smoke.
- Until you can quit, choose to smoke outside. Moving to another room or opening a window is not enough to protect your children.
Join the millions of people who are protecting their children from secondhand smoke. Take the Smoke-Free Home & Car Pledge today!
For more information on secondhand smoke, see EPA publications and Take the Smoke-free Home Pledge 1-866-SMOKE-FREE (1-866-766-5337)
 |
Download and print this Smoke-Free Home Pledge Poster and post it in your places of business or community areas. Click here to download the .pdf file, or click on the image. |
Back to Top
