What can I do about secondhand smoke?

What you can do to reduce the health risks of passive smoking:

At home:

Don't smoke in your house or permit others to do so.
If a family member insists on smoking indoors, increase ventilation in the area where smoking takes place. Open windows or use exhaust fans.
Do not smoke if children are present, particularly infants and toddlers. They are particularly susceptible to the effects of passive smoking.
Don't allow baby-sitters or others who work in your home to smoke in the house or near your children.

In Restaurants and Bars:

Know the law concerning smoking in your community. Some communities have banned smoking in places such as restaurants entirely. Others require separate smoking areas in restaurants, although most rely on simply separating smokers and nonsmokers within the same space, which may reduce but not eliminate involuntary exposure to ETS.
If smoking is permitted, placement of smoking areas should be determined with some knowledge of the ventilation characteristics of the space to minimize nonsmoker exposure. For example, nonsmoking areas should be near air supply ducts while smoking areas should be near return registers or exhausts.
Ask to be seated in nonsmoking areas as far from smokers as possible.
Few restrictions have been imposed in bars where drinking and smoking seem to go together. In the absence of state or local laws restricting smoking in bars, encourage the proprietor to consider his or her nonsmoking clientele, and frequent places that do so.

Where Children Spend Time:

Find out about the smoking policies of the day care providers, pre-schools, schools, and other care-givers for your children.
Help other parents understand the serious health risks to children from secondhand smoke. Work with parent/teacher associations, your school board and school administrators, community leaders, and other concerned citizens to make your child's environment smoke free.