Children and Secondhand Smoke

Nowadays, many children are being exposed to secondhand smoke, which will increase the chances of occurrences of various health problems, such as ear and respiratory infections, and even asthma. According to reports made by biomedical technician schools, secondhand smoke contains around 250 carcinogenic chemicals, which include vinyl chloride, benzene, ammonia, and formaldehyde, which are all harmful to the health of children. A number of medical schools have concluded that each and every exposure to secondhand smoke can be life threatening.

Many people are aware that secondhand smoke can greatly affect the health of their children, but still, around 50% of the children in the US are living with parents or guardians who smoke. Infants are much more susceptible to the poisons that are contained in cigarette smoke than grown-up people, and they may develop a variety of health problems such as bronchitis or pneumonia, heart diseases, ear infections, asthma, childhood leukemia and cancer, slower growth, negative neurobehavioral effects, and even sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS.

Maternal smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke during pregnancy can affect the outcome of pregnancy. It is known that pregnant mothers who are exposed to cigarette smoke can give birth to babies who have low birth weight, intellectual deficiency, and reduced function of the lungs. Smoking or being exposed to secondhand smoke during pregnancy can also increase the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, and complications in pregnancy.

Secondhand smoke can bring about a wide variety of short-term and long-term health problems for children. If you want your children to be healthy and happy, you should make sure that you take the necessary measures to minimize their exposure to secondhand smoke. One thing that you can do is make your home a smoke-free zone. If you need to smoke, do it outside your house. Try to wear something thick, like a smoking jacket, when you are smoking outside, so that your clothes will be free of tobacco smoke. When you are dining out, you should choose a smoke-free restaurant, so that your children can have a pleasant and healthy dining experience. If you have smoker friends who come to your house often, you should tell them not to smoke around your children. Also, educate your growing children about the negative effects of smoking and let them know how it can cause serious health problems. The best thing to do is to make an effort to quit smoking.

Most parents who smoke are actually aware of the fact that secondhand smoke can cause great damage to their children's health, and some of them feel guilty about it. Many parents have tried and failed to quit smoking on a number of attempts, and they have lost hope that they will succeed in getting rid of the habit. If you really want to quit smoking, there are many products and programs that can help you out. Your children are the most precious things in your life, and they certainly deserve the extra effort that you need to make to quit smoking.