What are Passive Smoking Effects on Children?

Passive smoke, also known as second-hand smoke, can be a danger to children. There have been numerous studies conducted as to the effects of passive smoke on children and all the results are clear that second-hand smoke is dangerous and can cause a variety of harmful long-term effects.

Sources of Exposure

• There are two main sources of passive smoke. The first is when children are around people who are smoking. This could be in their house, in a restaurant, at the park or other public places. This also includes unborn children. Pregnant women can inhale passive smoke and their unborn baby is exposed to it. Anytime people are smoking, there is second-hand smoke. Another source is when pregnant women smoke. Their unborn child is automatically exposed to passive smoke.

Effects

• Children exposed to passive smoke can suffer a number of ailments. They are more prone to life-long respiratory problems such as asthma and bronchitis. They are also more likely to get ear infections, have attention deficit hyper activity disorder, learning problems, low birth weight and suffer from sudden infant death syndrome.

Facts

• Children of parents who smoke are twice as likely to be hospitalized for a respiratory ailment. Passive smoke is the cause of 3,000 deaths to non-smokers every year due to lung cancer. Cotinine levels, which is a measure of passive smoke, are found to be two times higher in children ages 3 to 11 than in non-smoking adults. This indicates that passive smoke affects children much more seriously than adults.

Prevention

• The only sure way to prevent the effects of passive smoke on children is to never have them around it. Select carefully the places you take your children so you may avoid smoke If you are around smokers at family, friend or neighborhood gatherings, ask smokers to smoke outside. Never allow anyone to smoke in your car. If you are a smoker, seek help to quit so that your children are not exposed.