The Quebec ministry of health and social services is among the organizations behind a new campaign aimed at educating the province’s parents about the dangers second-hand smoke pose to children.

The Smoke-Free Family campaign is being organized by Capsana.

According to a recent Leger survey, 24 per cent of parents who smoke do so regularly or occasionally in the presence of children, with 17 per cent saying they smoke in their cars.

Second-hand smoke contains more than 7,000 toxic substances and can be particularly dangerous to babies and young children, due to their lungs and immune systems being less developed. Frequent exposure to smoke can cause or exacerbate respiratory problems such as bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, colds and chronic ailments.