About 37.8 million adults in the United States currently smoke cigarettes. Not only does smoke cause harm to people who smoke, but also affects the health of others, such as people who inhale second-hand smoke. Second-hand smoke is blown to the air by the person smoking. People are smoking near bus stands, but are unaware of the damage they are causing to students, kids, pregnant women, and elderly people who travel by buses daily.

Second-hand smoke has numerous short-term and long-term consequences for innocent bystanders. It has over 4,000 chemicals, including 50 that can cause cancer. In addition, individuals who are exposed to secondhand smoke have a greater risk of suffering from lung cancer, nasal sinus cancer, heart disease,  stroke, and breathing problems, such as increased coughing, wheezing, pneumonia, bronchitis, and asthma.

“Second hand smoking is bad, it is as bad as just smoking. It puts innocent people lives in danger. We use buses as a way to transport to places. Children are at higher risk of getting sick from secondhand smoke because their lungs are still developing and can be easily damaged,” said Harpreet Kaur, a senior at Thomas Edison High School.