Tobacco Smoke
Researchers at the Children's Environmental Health Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have demonstrated a link between Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) exposure and cognitive skills among children and adolescents.
The study examined data collected on nearly 4400 US children and adolescents, aged 6-16, for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey – III (NHANES-III) during 1988-1994.
ETS exposure was estimated by measures of serum cotinine. Cotinine is a product created when the body breaks down nicotine and is the best marker of exposure to ETS. It can be measured in many bodily fluids and products. For this study, cotinine was measured in serum, the watery part of blood.
Children were selected to be included in the study if they reported no use of tobacco products in the 5 days prior to testing, and if they had levels of serum cotinine that would indicate they were exposed to ETS and were not active smokers.
Children were given tests of reading, math, reasoning, and memory. Results of the study showed that children who had higher levels of cotinine in their serum also scored lower on tests of reading, math, and reasoning. These relationships remained at extremely low levels of ETS exposure.
Forty-three percent of children in the US are exposed to ETS in their own homes, and the authors found that 85% of children show some level of exposure through their serum. Estimates from the study are that reading skills for over 13 million children could be affected by ETS exposure.
Parents who smoke should be careful to avoid exposing their children to ETS. Parents who do not smoke should be aware of places where their children can become exposed to ETS and take steps to protect them.
Study authors: Kimberly Yolton, Ph.D.; Bruce Lanphear, M.D., M.P.H., Kim Dietrich, Ph.D., Peggy Auinger, M.S.
For More Information
The Children's Environmental Health Center at Cincinnati Children's, has information about environmental tobacco smoke on cincinnatichildrens.org:
In addition, the results of this study were widely reported by various media outlets, including:
