Do your parents smoke? Where do they smoke - outside, at work or at home when you are around? According to a survey published in the journal Academic Pediatrics, an alarming number of US parents are still risking their children's lives by smoking in front of them. Half of all children aged 6 to 19, even those with asthma  , have been exposed to second-hand smoke in the country, reported Reuters. "It's well known that smoking kills, but many smokers still don't realize the damage their smoke causes to those around them," Dame Sally, Chief Medical Officer for England, was quoted by the Independent as saying.  Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, hundreds of which are poisonous. About 70 of them can cause cancer, not to mention other diseases, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  What's most scary is that there is no safe level of contact with second-hand smoke---even "low-level" exposure can be harmful to one's health. And "low-level" means when a parent or family member smokes in another room or even outside.  While second-hand smoke can be harmful to people of all ages, children face a greater risk than adults: they have smaller lungs; they breathe more quickly; and they have less developed immune  systems.  Also, young children have little control over their surroundings. Babies can't move to another room because the air is smoky. They depend on the adults in their lives to make sure that their environments are safe.  Recent years have seen second-hand smoke exposure drop---but for adults rather than kids, because policies have been started around the world to ban smoking in public places such as offices, bars and restaurants. However, "Children tend to be exposed to second-hand smoke in homes and cars, and these places are not included in most laws and policies," Amy Ferketich, a researcher at The Ohio State University, US, told Reuters. So what can we do to limit children's exposure to second-hand smoke? Parents should stop smoking for good. But if they can't, they should never smoke---or let others smoke---around their children. Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?
Half of the children ages 9 to 18 in the US have parents who smoked at home. Most smokers in the US don't care about the effects that smoking can have on those around them. Dame Sally believes many parents who smoke in front of their kids have no idea of the damage that they are doing. Hundreds of chemicals contained in tobacco can cause cancer.