Effects of Tobacco Smoking on Children

Smoking causes eighty percent of lung cancer around the world. One in 5 deaths in the U.S results from the use of tobacco & each year, smoking claims 400,000 lives in the U.S. alone. In 1999, 65% of all secondary students reported having used some type of tobacco product during their lifetime. There was a 16% increase in smoking among high school seniors between 1996 and 1999 in U.S. Each year about more than 3,000 non-smoking adults die of lung cancer as a result of breathing the smoke of other's cigarettes.

Each year, smoking around children leads to hospitalization of ~15,000 children & ~ 26,000 new cases of asthma, approximately 150,000 - 300,000 lung infections like bronchitis and pneumonia. Maternal smoking is responsible for 35% of all SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) deaths in the U. S. and smoking during pregnancy triples the risk of SIDS. Over 40% of SIDS is due to mothers smoking during and/or after pregnancy or another person smoking in the house. Some of the common problems in children which can be attributed to second hand smoking include, but are not limited to:

Ear Infections, The toxic chemicals in smoke irritate the lining of the Eustachian tube, which leads from the back of the nose to the ear. The irritated lining creates mucous which collects behind the eardrum. The ear may become infected and cause pain or hearing loss.

Asthma, Irritants in tobacco smoke can cause the lining of the airways to swell making it difficult for a child to breathe. Tobacco smoke or even the stale odor of old smoke in a car can trigger an asthma attack in a child.

Problems after birth, Mothers who smoke during and after pregnancy may have children who are more likely to suffer behavioral problems such as hyperactivity. In one study, children from similar backgrounds who had parents that smoked scored 6% lower on tests than children whose parents did not smoke.

Birth defects, some studies suggest that smoking during pregnancy can cause birth defects such as cleft (split) lip or cleft palate (an opening between the nose and the roof of the mouth). Smoking is also responsible for low birth weight babies, miscarriages, and SIDS.

Cigarette smoking is not only harmful to an individual, but it is particularly detrimental during the reproductive period, when it may not only harm the unborn child, but may also damage the reproductive capacity of the next generation. Even though tobacco smoking seems to be decreasing considerably among the older age group, unfortunately the same is not happening among the younger generation. It is estimated that in the U.S. 38% of males and 39% of females between ages of 20-24 are regular smokers and more children than ever before start their smoking habit at a very young age.

The most important point that can be made about cigarette-induced fetal damage is that it is totally preventable and only by informing both prospective parents about the potential dangers of tobacco smoking before conception, and particularly the dangers of maternal smoking whilst pregnant, can we hope to reduce these ever increasing statistics of pre-term births, low birth weight infants and children presently suffering from various neuro-developmental disorders and general ill-health.