Second Hand Smoke Dangers
Explanation | Effects on children | Harms | Asthma and Smoking | Getting Help to Stop Smoking
What is second hand smoke?
- Second hand smoke is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe, or cigar, and the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers.
- This mixture contains more than 4,000 substances, more than 40 of which are known to cause cancer in humans or animals and many of which are strong irritants.
- Second hand smoke is also called environmental tobacco smoke (ETS); exposure to secondhand smoke is called involuntary smoking or passive smoking.
When a cigarette is smoked, about half of the smoke generated is ETS. As the exposure to second hand smoke increases, the levels of harmful substances in the body increase as well. High levels of these poisons can cause cancer in healthy children, and adult nonsmokers, as well as in smokers themselves.
Effects of smoking on children
Second hand smoke is linked with a number of bad effects in children. Children of parents who smoke:
- Have more respiratory symptoms and acute lower respiratory tract infections, (i.e., bronchitis and pneumonia).
- Have increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
- Have increased fluid in the middle ear, altering hearing & leading to speech problems.
- Have reduced lung functions (Lungs that don't work as well as they could).
Children who are exposed to second-hand smoke:
- May develop new cases of asthma (children who have not previously had asthma symptoms).
- Asthmatics have more frequent asthma attacks and more severe symptoms.
Learn More:
Radio Segment
Steve Muething, MD, associate director of clinical services in the Division of General and Community Pediatrics, can now be heard weekly "The Health Show," distributed by WAMC/Northeast Public Radio. On June 26, 2003, he spoke about Smoking Plays Bigger Roles in the Movies. Listen to this segment:
On June 12, 2003, he spoke about Childhood Asthma and Smoking. Listen to this segment:
How Does Second Hand Smoke Harm Non-Smokers?
Children
ETS is harmful to young children because:
- From birth to 2 years, children's lungs are not fully developed.
- Children's immune systems are less protective than that of adults.
During pregnancy
Pregnant women who smoke deprive their babies of needed oxygen and other nutrients. This may result in:
- Low birth weight
- Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage)
- Stillbirth
- Reduced lung function in the baby
- Complications in pregnancy
Nicotine stays in breast milk for up to 5 hours after smoking. The harmful effects of nicotine can be passed to your child through your breast milk.
Asthma and smoking
Children with breathing problems such as asthma should not be around smoke in homes, cars, stores or restaurants. Cigarette smoke can cause a child with breathing problems to cough more, wheeze or have shortness of breath.
Even if smoking is restricted to a single room, the harmful constituents of cigarette smoke can be dispersed throughout the house, via central heating or air conditioning.
Many of the dangerous chemicals found in cigarette smoke are invisible gases. So you can't depend on seeing the smoke to know if your child is exposed to the chemicals and irritants. If you have a child with asthma, it is best to smoke outside and to ask other family members and friends to do the same.
If your child is on oxygen, under no circumstances should smoking be allowed in the house, due to the danger of explosion, fire, and worsening of the respiratory illness.
Getting Help to Stop Smoking
You may already know that smoking can cause heart disease and be linked to various types of cancer. Nicotine is an addictive drug. This drug makes it hard for people to stop smoking. For more information about programs to help you stop smoking, you can contact any of the following organizations for help.
Patient Education Program IV 4010 12/97
Rev. 6/05
