Effects of Secondhand Smoke On Children Can Be Beyond Repair
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Effects of Secondhand Smoke On Children Can Be Beyond Repair
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By:
Ron King |
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Everyone feels that smoking is unhealthy, primarily for kids. But what are the actual effects of secondhand smoke on children, particularly the infant and secondhand smoke? Let’s take a look at the health effects on a child who is exposed to secondhand smoke.
Secondhand smoke is the name of the smoke that is emitted by a lit cigarette mixed with the smoke that is exhaled by a smoker engaged in the process of smoking. This kind of involuntary exposure affects all people next to a smoker, and thus of course children. The effect can be seen during pregnancy, even before a child is born. Tests show that prenatal exposure to nicotine, as it is contained in cigarette smoke, will cause low birth weight in a newborn. Also, it may contribute to prenatal death and resulting miscarriage. After the child has been born, secondhand smoke has been connected to the much-feared sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) which causes healthy infants less than one year of age to die without recognizable causation. Children who survive their infancy and later on develop asthma will find their attacks to be more prolonged than those of their counterparts who live in smoke free environments. Because of the toxins that are exhaled as well as released from a lit cigarette, children who are exposed to secondhand smoke regularly develop respiratory tract infections such as chronic bronchitis, postnasal drip, and frequent colds. Of course, there are also other health risks, such as an increased risk of ear infections and sore throats, and these are only a smattering of the effects of secondhand smoke on children.
Nonetheless, the most aggregious damage done by tobacco smoke to children is the injury inflicted on their lungs. An infant and secondhand smoke are an abusive combination. Infants who were exposed to nicotine in utero, regularly have reduced lung functions, which is the reason they are more susceptible to succumbing to SIDS when still young. One of the reasons why infants are so adversely affected by secondhand smoke is because their breathing rate is faster than an adult’s breathing rate, and therefore, by weight, they are inhaling a heavier amount of secondhand smoke and all its toxins than an adult would. Add to this factor the developmental immaturity of a baby’s lungs and it is obvious that so many hospitalizations can be directly traced to a parent’s smoking around the children.
Another point to consider is the length of exposure of children to cigarette smoke. Oftentimes smokers have other smokers within their immediate circle of friends and acquaintances and choose not to ban smoking to the garage or any other location away from the children. Therefore, a child is usually not only exposed to a parent’s or caregiver’s secondhand smoke, but also to that of their friends, family, and other adults. Sadly, children who are exposed consistently to secondhand smoke will be candidates for developing lung cancer, not unlike their smoking parents and caregivers. Potentially the worst part of smoking related hospitalizations in children who were exposed to secondhand smoke is the fact that this could have been summarily avoided, particularly cases that involve an infant and secondhand smoke. Do not wait until it is too late and the effects of secondhand smoke on children are beyond repair. Make sure your kids live in environments that are smoke-free. Put the respiratory health of your kids before the risks involved with smoke exposure. Limit your child’s opportunities for secondhand smoke exposure, and quit smoking before it is too late!
For more info, check out Infants and Secondhand Smoke or Tips on How To Stop Smoking. Ron King is a web developer; visit his website Authoring Articles.
Copyright 2008 Ron King. This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact and the links live.
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