The Effects of Second Hand Smoke on Children
Dangers of Smoking Around Kids Include Asthma, SIDS, Ear Infections
Oct 25, 2008
It is a well known fact that second hand smoke can be as dangerous to individuals breathing it into their lungs as smoking is to the person who engages in the health harming habit. Adults usually have a choice when it comes to their exposure to second hand smoke and can remove themselves from a health endangering environment if need be. Children may not have this option, especially if their parents smoke indoors. The effects of second hand smoke can be more immediate and severe for children than adults.
What is in Second Hand Smoke
When an individual inhales second hand smoke he is breathing in a number of toxic chemicals. The American Lung Association warns the public that second hand smoke contains but is not limited to the following chemicals:
- formaldehyde
- benzene
- vinyl chloride,
- arsenic ammonia
- hydrogen cyanide
These chemicals can cause a number of health problems including cancer.
Asthma in Children
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns that second hand smoke can lead to the development of asthma in children. Children's lungs are growing and maturing and the introduction of the chemicals found in second hand smoke leads to this dangerous and chronic condition. Children with asthma may suffer from debilitating attacks that sometimes may require them to be sent to the hospital. Children with asthma usually require medication to keep the disease under control.
Parents who smoke are advised to do so away from their children in order to preserve their child's health and prevent disease.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Babies who are exposed to second hand smoke, because one or more of their parents chooses to smoke in the house or in the car when they are present, are much more likely to die of SIDS. Parents who choose to smoke when there is an infant in the home may actually be saving their child's life if they do so outdoors where the child is not breathing in toxic chemicals.
Increased Risk of Upper Respiratory and Ear Infection
The EPA states that children exposed to second hand smoke are much more likely to fall victim to dangerous upper respiratory infections such as pneumonia or bronchitis. Children exposed to second hand smoke are also more likely to develop middle ear infections.
Parents who are smokers and who want to keep their children healthy should consider quiting for their child's sake as well as their own. If quiting smoking is not something that a parent desires to do then he or she should make every effort to not smoke in a place where their child could be exposed to second hand smoke. Doing so could prevent their child from experiencing pain and possibly lifelong illness.
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