ALBANY - Smokers, already pushed outside in New York, may be getting more grief than usual for lighting up in public places thanks to a new ad campaign designed to discourage smoking around children.

The state's $5 million campaign, one more push for champions of the anti-smoking movement, came at the same time a report by the U.S. Surgeon General indicates infants and young children are especially vulnerable to secondhand smoke.

One print ad warns “when you smoke around your kids, they smoke too. By the age of 5 they'll have inhaled over 100 packs.”

For years, state health officials and the Democrat-led Assembly have tried to limit smoking indoors and out, and some have focused their efforts on smoking around children in particular.

The New York State Clean Indoor Air Act prohibits smoking in virtually all workplaces, including restaurants, bars and most other public indoor spaces.

“I think smoking in a car with a child has a more lasting effect than giving a child a slap in the face,” said Assemblyman Ivan Lafayette, D-Queens. “They're both horrible things, but one is going to kill the child ... I know that's a hard comparison, but that's the reality of it.”

Lafayette has introduced - and reintroduced - a bill that would ban smoking in cars with minors younger than 16. The measure has been kicking around unsuccessfully for nearly 10 years.

Meanwhile, other states have been more successful passing similar legislation.

Arkansas now bans smoking in cars with children age 6 and younger, while Louisiana has limited it when children 13 and younger are in the vehicle. Twenty states have considered similar legislation, including California, where a bill has passed the Legislature and was sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Wednesday, according to National Conference of State Legislatures.

Various cities and municipalities have also considered limiting smoking in cars with minors, including Bangor, Maine, and Keyport, N.J.

Secondhand smoke is estimated to cause between 22,700 and 67,600 premature deaths from heart disease and about 3,000 lung cancer deaths each year among nonsmokers in the United States.

“There is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke,” said state Health Commissioner Dr. Richard Daines. “Children are particularly vulnerable because they are still developing and their smaller size means the dose of toxins is greater.”

One measure that failed to pass the Assembly would ban smoking on playgrounds, while another would make it illegal to smoke on beaches or in public parks.

Assemblywoman Sandra Galef, D-Ossining, sponsored the bill to ban smoking on playgrounds. The measure stalled because legislators couldn't agree on the definition of a playground.

“The scientific reports say that secondhand smoke has as much of a negative effect on your health as smoking directly,” Galef said. “And we certainly want to be sure we keep smoke away from children who don't have the opportunity to walk away from it, and I think adults have to learn more responsible behavior around children.”

“It's an intolerance campaign,” said Audrey Silk, of New York City Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment. “They don't want anyone to enjoy a cigarette. They're exploiting the children, it's the usual red flag.”

Silk added that any outdoor smoking bans would be largely unenforceable.

Nonetheless, state lawmakers and health advocates continue to push for stricter regulations that would further limit smokers.

While New York has considered bans against smoking around children and in some public areas, other states and cities have managed to pass similar measures.

Texas, Oklahoma, Washington, Vermont and Alaska have prohibited smoking around foster children in homes, cars, or both, said Kathleen Dachille, director of the Legal Resource Center for Tobacco Regulation, Litigation & Advocacy at the University of Maryland School of Law. Maine and Montana foster care systems have regulations that prohibit smoking around children in the system.

At least three states - besides New York - have proposed legislation to prohibit smoking on beaches: California, Hawaii and Rhode Island.

Some municipalities in California already prohibit smoking on beaches, both for health reasons and to eliminate litter.

The secondhand smoke ads will run in the state through the end of October, and cessation ads will begin in November and play through the holiday season.

This year, the state's Tobacco Control Program has spent $85 million, said Claire Pospisil, a Health Department spokeswoman.