Why Secondhand Smoke Is a Preventable Killer Affecting Millions of Non-Smokers.
Exposure to cigarette smoke harms children, pregnant women, and entire communities.
Original Fair Future illustration showing children exposed to secondhand smoke in an indoor home setting.
You Don’t Smoke, But You Breathe It In
In a country where cigarettes are as standard as rice, non-smokers are suffering because of someone else’s addiction. Indonesia, home to one of the highest smoking rates on Earth, offers no national protection for its non-smoking population. No law prevents cigarette smoke from entering homes, schools, hospitals, or buses. The result? A silent epidemic.
Secondhand smoke is not just unpleasant—it is lethal. With over 7,000 toxic substances in each puff and more than 70 known to cause cancer, the facts are non-negotiable: there is no safe level of exposure. None.
Even 30 minutes in a smoky room can be enough to trigger a heart attack. Children who have never touched a cigarette suffer from asthma, chronic lung disease, and pneumonia. Pregnant women exposed to smoke can miscarry or give birth to babies with severe health issues. Newborns exposed to smoke risk dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). And non-smokers? They’re 30% more likely to develop lung cancer simply for being near someone who smokes.
Every five minutes, someone dies from secondhand smoke. That’s over 1.2 million preventable deaths a year.
Let’s call this what it is: a public health disaster. And it’s entirely avoidable.
This isn’t about demonising smokers. It’s about protecting the right to breathe. Smoke doesn’t stay in your lungs—it spreads, clings to your clothes, skin, and children. It infiltrates places where people should feel safe. If you smoke, don’t do it around others. Step away. Better yet, quit. But at the very least, acknowledge that smoking is never just a personal choice.
Fair Future Foundation and Kawan Baik Indonesia have launched a community-based campaign against secondhand smoke. We are working with schools, families, and local leaders to demand change, raise awareness, and protect the most vulnerable, especially children.
Everyone has the right to breathe clean air. Secondhand smoke is a killer. Let’s stop pretending it’s harmless. It’s not just smoke. It’s someone else’s disease, in your lungs.
We created an educational poster on the dangers of secondhand smoke, available in English and Indonesian. You can view, print, share, and distribute it freely to raise awareness. It’s part of our commitment to protect those who cannot choose.
Download this poster in English here or in Bahasa Indonesia here.
Today, May the 13th, 2025 – Alex Wettstein
Secondhand Smoke Kills Silently
You don’t see it. You don’t choose it. Yet it enters your lungs, poisons your blood, and can kill your child. In Indonesia, no law protects non-smokers. Babies choke, mothers miscarry, children struggle to breathe. This is not a personal habit—it’s public harm. Clean air is a right, not a luxury. Smoking around others is not freedom. It’s violence.
About this topic on our Instagram page
List of Related Organisations with Hyperlinks
- The Union: The Union advocates for stronger tobacco control laws, supporting efforts similar to Fair Future’s campaigns in Indonesia.
- Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids: Fights for global policies protecting children from secondhand smoke, aligning with Fair Future’s advocacy.
- WHO Tobacco Free Initiative: WHO’s program offers resources and legal frameworks, and Fair Future promotes actions in its field.
- ASH Action on Smoking and Health: Raises awareness of passive smoking harms, echoing Fair Future’s on-ground medical realities.
- Indonesia Cancer Foundation: This foundation supports cancer prevention tied to smoking, a critical issue Fair Future addresses through education and outreach.
