Brent and Alison are work associates. Brent had been a smoker for a long time, but recently quit smoking. Alison is curious about the reason why.

Alison: Hi, Brent. You look great! Are you on a diet?

Brent: No, but I am getting more exercise. And I did quit smoking recently.

Alison: Quit smoking? I thought you said smoking helped relieve your stress.

Brent: It did at first. But after I became more aware of the harmful effects of smoking, my perspective changed. And it came to a head last month.

Alison: It must have been something pretty serious.

Brent: It was. I’ve been smoking for years, but last month I started coughing really badly.

Alison: That’s scary. It’s true that smoking can cause lung cancer, heart disease and other diseases.

Brent: I had read about that stuff and didn’t think it applied to me until I got that cough. Then I realized I should take it seriously.

Alison: And now that you’ve quit, the people around you won’t be affected by secondhand smoke.

Brent: I know! Recently, I’ve been on my friend’s case to quit smoking now that she’s pregnant.

Alison: That’s very dangerous. The baby could get asthma which will affect its entire life.

Brent: I read a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) that said a top cause of death for children under the age of five is air pollution. Much of that is from secondhand smoke.