Smoking in the family home damages the health of children.
According to the Office of the Surgeon General, children exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes inhale 250 harmful chemicals, just like adult smokers. Statistics show that children are more at risk to suffer the health consequences from inhaling smoke. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states that children suffer more due to their developing lungs and their higher breathing rates. The best prevention is to stop smoking around children, concludes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Statistics
In the United States alone, 22 million children between the ages of 3 and 11 had high levels of cotinine in the year 2000, according to the Office of the Surgeon General. Cotinine levels are used because the chemical marks the amount of secondhand exposure to smoking. Compared to adults, cotinine levels in these children are twice as high. The number of children between the ages of 12 and 19 exposed to secondhand smoke in 2000 is slightly lower at 18 million.
Toxicity
The Office of the Surgeon General mentions some of the 250 chemicals in smoke include formaldehyde, arsenic, hydrogen cyanide, vinyl chloride, benzene and ammonia. All 250 of these chemicals are either toxic or carcinogens.
Risks
The risks children suffer include acute lower respiratory infections, more severe asthma attacks and an increase in ear infections. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states that every year exposure to secondhand smoke results in 150,000 to 300,000 cases of lower respiratory infections among children younger than 18 months. Some of the cases include bronchitis and pneumonia. About 7,500 to 15,000 cases require hospitalization for other respiratory infections. Respiratory symptoms such as coughing and wheezing increase in homes with smokers. Phlegm and breathlessness also increase in severity. More children are at a higher risk of ear infections and will need an operation to insert an ear tube, according to the Office of the Surgeon General. There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.
Pregnancy
Pregnant mothers who are exposed to secondhand smoke put their unborn children at risk for future health problems. The Office of the Surgeon General states that pregnant mothers who either smoke or are exposed to secondhand smoke increase the likelihood that their unborn child will die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome after birth. Their children will also be born with weaker lungs. Secondhand smoke causes babies to be born with lower birth weights.
Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the best method to prevent the health risks to children is to not smoke in the house and in the vehicles the children are going to be in. Smokers who do live in the home should always go outside to smoke. Parents need to insist that others not smoke around their children. Day care centers and schools the children attend should be smoke- and tobacco-free. When choosing a restaurant, parents should make sure they are smoke-free. If the parent smokes, the best thing for both children and parent is to quit smoking.
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