MODEL RELEASED. Passive smoking. Hand in the fore- ground holds a burning cigarette, whilst a mother and child wear masks to protect against the cigarette fumes. Exposure to cigarette smoke when in the vicinity of a smoker is known as passive smoking. Both the mother and child may inhale secondary smoke exhaled by the smoker, or smoke produced directly by the burning cigarette. Passive smoking can cause respiratory problems in children: wheezing, bronchitis, asthma, and possibly lung cancer, where the child is constantly exposed to tobacco smoke. Such children are also more likely to become smokers themselves.