Learn about Second hand Smoke Effects on Children

     Second hand smoke is a combination of exhaled cigarette smoke and the smoke that comes from the end of a smoldering cigarette. It contains more than 7000 chemicals. Hundreds are toxic and about 70 can cause cancer. According to the a report, there is no safe level of exposure to second hand smoke.

     Children face a greater risk than adults of the negative second hand smoke effects. When the air is tainted with cigarette smoke, young, developing lungs receive a higher concentration of inhaled toxins than do older lungs because a child's breathing rate is faster than that of adults. Babies have little control over their surroundings. Babies can't move to another room because the air is smoky. They depend on the adults in their lives to make sure their environment is safe.

How Second hand Smoke Affects Children's Health:

• The lungs of children who regularly breathe in second hand smoke develop more slowly.
• Children whose mothers smoke during pregnancy often weigh less at birth than those born to non-smoking mothers. Low birth weight is a leading cause of infant death.
• Children whose mothers smoke during pregnancy are at increased risk for developmental issues