Clearing the Air

Second Hand Smoke and Children

Second-hand smoke contains toxic substances, over 40 of which cause cancer. Some of these substances are in stronger concentrations in second-hand smoke than they are in the smoke that goes directly into smokers’ lungs.

Secondhand Smoke is associated with:

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
acute middle ear infections
tonsillectomy
meningococcal infections
cancers and leukemias in childhood
slower growth
adverse neurobehavioural effects
upper respiratory tract infections (colds and sore throats)
unfavorable cholesterol levels
initiation of atherosclerosis (heart disease)

Secondhand smoke is causally linked with a number of adverse health effects in children (under 18), including:

lower respiratory tract infections
increased fluid in the middle ear
upper respiratory tract irritation
reduced lung function
additional episodes of asthma
increased severity of asthma
reduced oxygen flow to tissues
cyanotic heart disease
chronic lung disease

Tobacco smoke is responsible for up to:

13% of ear infections
24% of tonsillectomies
26% of tympanostomy tube insertions
13% of asthma cases
16% of physician visits for cough
20% of all lung infections in children
136-212 childhood deaths from lower
___ respiratory infection
148 childhood deaths from fires started ____by tobacco products
1868-2708 SIDS deaths‡