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Infant Reactions to Cigarette Smoke

Secondhand smoke has many of the damaging effects as smoking, especially when it comes to children. Secondhand smoke significantly impacts children because of their rapid development. Exposing an infant to secondhand smoke causes an initial reaction, but the impact can also last a lifetime.

  1. Respiratory Infections

    • Secondhand smoke causes thousands of respiratory infections in infants each year.

      Respiratory infections can quickly become serious in infants, and they cause many infant deaths each year in the United States. According to the Surgeon General's report in 2006, a causal relationship exists between secondhand smoke exposure and lower respiratory infections in infants. Research also indicates that an even stronger correlation exists when the mother smokes. The EPA suggests that secondhand smoke causes between 150,000 and 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections annually in children under the age of 18 months.

    Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

    • According to the Centers for Disease Control, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) causes the most deaths each year in infants ages 1-12 months. Research has found a positive correlation between maternal smoking and SIDS. Secondhand smoke exposure causes the risk of SIDS to go up by 50 percent. Parents can help protect their children from SIDS by not smoking in their home and not allowing others to smoke around their children.

    Wheeze

    • Children exposed to secondhand smoke may begin to wheeze after prolonged exposure. Secondhand smoke irritates an infant's lungs and also causes reduced lung function, both of which could cause wheezing. A strong link exists between wheezing during infancy and maternal smoking during pregnancy and after birth.

    Reactions to Neurotoxins

    • Cigarette smoke contains neurotoxins, harmful chemicals that can impact an infant's brain by causing them to receive less oxygen. An infant's brain can react in many negative ways when exposed to secondhand smoke. Neurotoxins can lead to a lower IQ, impaired motor development, more frequent waking during periods of sleep, and irritability. Neurotoxins hang in the air around smokers and cling to surfaces. This means that the neurotoxic effect can impact a child long after a person has smoked in your home since your child will continue to brush against those surfaces.

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