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Santa Clara Co. Launches New Secondhand Smoke TV Campaign

SAN JOSE (KCBS) - Santa Clara County has launched a new TV ad campaign on the dangers of secondhand smoke, specifically aimed at parents who smoke.

The 30-second spot shows a father sitting at a table with his two children. When he takes a drag of his cigarette, it's the kids who exhale the smoke.

KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:

"We still have far too many people smoking, and part of the overall push, of course, is to get people to stop smoking," said County Supervisor Ken Yeager. "But if people do smoke, we want them to make sure that their secondhand smoke isn't affecting the health of others."

Non-smokers exhibiting smoking related symptoms and diseases has become a big problem in Santa Clara, according to County Public Health Director Dan Peddycord.

"I don't think individuals understand just how dangerous secondhand smoke is because it travels," said Peddycord. "In fact, only about 15 percent of cigarette smoke is actually inhaled by the smoker. 85 Percent is out there for the rest of us to inhale, and children are particularly susceptible to secondhand smoke."

The spot has also been produced in Spanish and Vietnamese.

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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