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Dangers of Smoking in Cars With Children

Smoking near children in a closed environment such as a car exposes them to secondhand smoke, also known as environmental tobacco smoke. ETS contains more than 4,000 chemical substances, many of which have been proven detrimental to human health. Children are particularly susceptible to health problems resulting from ETS exposure because they are still developing physically and have higher breathing rates than adults. The dangers of smoking near children are so prevalent that some states, such as Arkansas and Louisiana, have passed bans on smoking in cars with children present.

  1. Respiratory Infections

    • Exposure to secondhand smoke in cars causes many respiratory problems and conditions in school-aged children, including wheezing, coughing, breathlessness and phlegm. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that 150,000 to 300,000 annual cases of bronchitis and pneumonia in infants and young children can be traced back to exposure to ETS. Of these cases, 7,500 to 15,000 require treatment in a hospital. Exposure to ETS irritates the upper respiratory tract and is associated with reduced lung function.

    Asthma

    • Asthma affects one in 13 school-aged children, making it the most chronic childhood disease, says the EPA. Secondhand smoke inhaled in a car can cause asthma in healthy children with no history of breathing difficulties. In children who are already asthmatic, secondhand smoke increases the frequency and severity of asthma attacks. According to The National Survey on Environmental Management of Asthma and Children's Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke, 200,000 to 1 million asthmatic children experience more severe asthma symptoms as a result of ETS exposure.

    Middle Ear Infections

    • Exposure to ETS in a car or elsewhere increases fluid in the middle ear, possibly leading to chronic middle ear disease. Otitis media is an infection of the middle ear that is common in children 6 months to 4 years old, and it is more prevalent among children who are exposed to secondhand smoke. Otitis media is caused by fluid buildup in the middle ear that is susceptible to bacterial and viral infection, and it is responsible for the most cases of temporary hearing impairment in American children under the age of 8, says healthofchildren.com.

    SIDS

    • In 2006, the U.S. Surgeon General released a report detailing the effects of involuntary exposure to secondhand smoke in which ETS was determined to have an effect on statistics of SIDS, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, in babies who are exposed to secondhand smoke in the womb and after birth. The American Lung Association of Oregon reports that SIDS is the second-leading cause of death for infants in Oregon, and it is the cause of 430 SIDS-related deaths each year.

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