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The Effects of Smoking on Children

According to the American Heart Association, about 60 percent of children are exposed to secondhand cigarette smoke between the ages of 4 and 11. Cigarette smoke can put children at risk for health problems during their childhood and into adulthood.

  1. Common Health Problems

    • Secondhand smoke contains more than 40 toxic substances that can be harmful to children, according to Physicians for a Smoke Free Canada. Some common problems that children who are around cigarette smoke experience are asthma, meningococcal infections, respiratory tract infections and middle ear infections.

    Other Health Problems

    • Exposure to smoke can cause a child to have slower growth patterns than children who are not exposed to secondhand smoke, as well as a deficiency of oxygen in his tissues, irregular cholesterol levels and anxiety disorders. Cigarette smoke can cause cancer in some children, according to Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada.

    Nicotine Addiction

    • Children who smoke can develop an addiction to nicotine, a drug that can alter people's brain functions. The drug can also cause children to experience feelings of both pleasure and depression.

    Later Health Problems

    • Children and teens who are exposed to cigarette smoke before they are 20 years old are at risk for developing major health problems during adulthood, including heart disease, high blood pressure and lung cancer.

    Baby Exposure

    • According to Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, if mothers smoke while they are pregnant, their babies are at risk for being born stillborn, developing mental retardation, developing learning or behavioral problems and/or developing lung problems. The organization also states that babies are at risk for sudden infant death syndrome if their mothers smoke around them. Babies with sudden infant death syndrome die between the time they are a month and a year old.

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