Children and secondhand smoke: not just a community issue.

Secondhand smoke (formerly referred to as passive smoke) is the involuntary breathing of other people's tobacco smoke. Many of the 5,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke are poisonous and around 50 are known to cause cancer in some people. Despite there being a reduction in the number of smokers in the UK overall, over 40 per cent of British children live in a household where at least one person smokes (Office for National Statistics 2001). Children's nurses are ideally placed to raise this sensitive issue with parents, but this is not easy. Knowing where to refer parents for support in stopping smoking is as important as asking about smoking during routine assessment.