Do not poison the air he breathes

Poster with an anti-smoking message, featuring an illustration of a child with a teddy bear, looking up at a hand holding a cigarette with the message 'Do not poison the air he breathes', produced by the Central Council for Health Education, London, England, c1960-1969

Passive smoking happens when one individual breathes in the smoke of another. This potentially leads to diseases such as lung cancer and bronchitis. Children of smokers are vulnerable to damage because their lungs are developing. The Central Council for Health Education issued this poster of a child with the slogan: 'Do not poison the air he breathes' during the 1960s. Passive smoking was not identified as an explicit health risk at this time. This probably means the poster is providing an extra reason for the smoker to give up.