Passive smoking effects on and around babies, including second and third hand smoke
The harmful effects of tobacco smoke on the body have been known for a long time. Many studies and statistical analyses have been conducted on this subject. A baby living with a smoker faces equal, or sometimes even greater, dangers than the smoker themselves. Smoking indoors is especially hazardous to young children’s health. Even if you step onto the balcony and close the door, some smoke still makes its way into the room and, consequently, your baby’s lungs. And what if this exposure is regular, with both parents and even guests smoking in the home?Important!
When a mother or father smokes in front of their child, it impacts not only their physical health. Recent studies show that passive smoking can cause depression, hyperactivity, and anxiety in these little “hostages of the circumstances.”
Advice:
If you want to keep your child healthy and prevent the effects of passive smoking, we invite you to take our unique Parenting Mentor Test, which will help you minimize the impact and consequences of passive smoking on your baby. Based on your results, you will receive detailed recommendations on how to protect your child from secondhand smoke.
Why is secondhand smoke dangerous?
Tobacco smoke is made up of two streams: the main stream and the sidestream. The main stream forms when the smoker inhales. This smoke enters the lungs and its harmful substances move directly into the bloodstream, spreading throughout the body. While the smoker consumes 35–40% of the cigarette’s harmful substances directly, the smoke exhaled and the smog from the burning cigarette end up affecting those around.
The burning end of a cigarette releases up to 500 harmful components, 50 of which are recognized as carcinogenic. "Sidestream" smoke—the smoke released in the environment during and after puffing—contains about 4,000 different components. In sidestream smoke, the concentration of many substances surpasses that found in the smoke inhaled by the smoker:
- it contains 50 times more nicotine,
- 45 times more nitrogen compounds,
- and 4–5 times more carbon monoxide (the most harmful component), as well as 50 times more nicotine and tar and 45 times more ammonia.
How does tobacco smoke affect babies?
Let’s look at what happens when a baby regularly inhales cigarette smoke in the form of sidestream smoke. Such smoke contains numerous chemicals: nicotine (the main addictive substance), aldehydes, acrolein, and more than four thousand other substances—roughly 70 of which, research confirms, are potent carcinogens.
These chemicals can cause irreversible changes in a baby’s lungs that may not appear until years later—including thinning of vessel walls, lung tissue degeneration, and heart muscle damage. Children of smokers are much more likely to develop respiratory illnesses like bronchitis, pneumonia, and asthma, which often take more severe forms. The risk of allergic reactions also increases.
Research and evidence about the effects of secondhand smoke on young children
It is important to know! In 2004, the World Health Organization conducted a comprehensive study on passive smoking, with discouraging results.
The carcinogenic impact on all a baby’s organs who regularly inhales smoke is nearly as great as for the smoker, and sometimes even higher.
Carcinogenic substances include:
- polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
- tobacco-specific nitrosamines
- some aromatic polyethers
- CARBON OXIDE
- carbon monoxide
Nicotine
Nicotine (found in higher concentrations in the air around a smoker than in the smoker's own body) affects the central nervous system. It's a neurotoxin and psychostimulant, stimulating the release of neurotransmitters.
Its effects may include:
- insomnia,
- sleepiness,
- agitation,
- mood swings,
- reduced appetite,
- changes in taste,
- nausea,
- weakness,
- dizziness, and other symptoms.
Polonium
More than 40 years ago, polonium-210—a dangerous radioactive element—was discovered in tobacco leaves, and efforts to eliminate it remain unsuccessful, according to Stanford University researchers.
The risks of your baby passively inhaling cigarette smoke are substantial, and grow even greater when one or both parents smoke.
Diseases that can become chronic in your baby include:
- Tonsillitis
- Asthma
- Pneumonia
- Bronchitis
- Bronchiolitis
- Croup
- Dysosmia
- Meningitis
- Ear infections
- SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, related to respiratory failure)—with one parent smoking, the risk doubles; with both, it is four times higher
- An increased risk of behavioral issues and learning difficulties
Babies have smaller airways, breathe more frequently, and inhale more harmful chemicals. Their immune systems are not yet strong enough to handle the dangers of tobacco smoke.
- The irritant effect of smoke is well known. The components dry out mucous membranes in the eyes, causing increased blinking, tearing, vasoconstriction, and trophic ulcers. Cigarette smoke is a potent allergen, leading to allergic conjunctivitis—sometimes by itself, sometimes alongside allergic rhinitis.
- Chronic exposure to tobacco smoke indoors, especially when both parents smoke, stunts your child’s growth. Passive smoking affects children for up to five hours after a cigarette is extinguished, as smoke lingers on clothing, carpets, and furniture.
- Tobacco smoke harms not only the respiratory system: it also negatively impacts metabolism and destroys nutrients and vitamins vital for a baby’s growth and development. This increases the risk of physical developmental delays. Studies show that children exposed to cigarette smoke perform worse at school, have trouble falling asleep, struggle with memory, and find it harder to adapt in groups due to excitability and nervousness.
Many people think smoking outside reduces harm to children and other family members. Unfortunately, this isn't true. High nicotine levels have been detected in the hair of children whose parents smoke outdoors. This might be due to smoke entering through the doorway or lingering on clothing.
While smoking outdoors is certainly better than smoking indoors, there’s no evidence it eliminates the risk of passive smoke for children. Many parents say they do not want their children to start smoking. Ultimately, the best solution is to quit smoking and avoid exposing your child to smoke altogether.
Adults have the choice to smoke, but who chooses health for the children? How can you protect your family from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke?
Here are some simple tips:
- Children exposed to secondhand smoke should see a doctor more frequently.
- Do not smoke or allow others to smoke in your child’s presence at home or in any enclosed space.
- Do not smoke or allow others to smoke in the car, even with the window open.
- Visit friends and relatives who smoke less often.
- Don’t join friends or colleagues outside for a smoke break—a chat over coffee is less harmful.
- Avoid restaurants and cafes with smoking areas; while this may be more psychological than physical protection, it still matters.
- Be assertive about your non-smoking preferences with friends and even taxi drivers.
- Stop smoking or encourage your family members to quit.