DR. WALLACE: I'm a 19-year-old wife and my husband is 21. We have a one-year-old son and plan to have two more children. Both my husband and I are cigarette smokers. I did stop smoking when pregnant, but was eager to start smoking after the baby's birth. My husband and I both smoke in our apartment. The reason we don't go outside to smoke is because we are not positive that the smoke we exhale is harmful to our son.

A lot of our friends tell us that secondhand smoke is extremely dangerous for our baby to inhale, and that it is also bad for anyone to inhale. When we ask for specific information about how it is dangerous, we seem to get all kind of different answers. In fact, my husband's grandfather calls the danger of breathing of secondhand smoke "rubbish" and he thinks it's just an "old wives' tale."

My questions are "Is secondhand smoke physically dangerous to others? And, if so, can you describe the possible dangers for our son?" If you can convince my husband and me that secondhand smoke is, indeed, a health hazard, we promise that we will stop smoking indoors. — Aggie, Miami, Fla.

AGGIE: According to our Surgeon General, even short exposure to secondhand smoke can cause damage to blood platelets and blood vessel linings, increasing the risk of a heart attack. A Stanford University study recommends that those who do not want to breathe secondhand smoke when outdoors should be at least six feet from a smoker, because of the power of secondhand smoke. The more distance from a smoker, the better the protection.

Now that I have your husband and you no longer smoking in your apartment, do yourselves a big favor and stop smoking 100 percent! The benefits of being smoke-free are enormous, from insuring better health for your baby and also for you and your husband, to saving money, and also not smelling like a "smoke stack!"

THANKS FOR YOUR KIND WORDS

DR. WALLACE: I have been meaning to write this letter for quite some time. I've read your column throughout my teen years and I want to thank you for all your advice. At least there is someone out there still teaching today's youth the importance of high morals and values.

I appreciate the things you've done and hope you continue to do your good work for a long time to come. I just wish there were more people out there like you. Even though I'm 22 now, I still look forward to getting the paper and reading your column. — Sophie, Lake Charles, La.

SOPHIE: You sure know how to make a columnist feel good! Thanks for your kind words!

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. E-mail him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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