Passive Smoking Effects on Children - Negligible Or Significant?

Are the effects of passive smoking on children worth worrying about? Let's find out, in this article.
Did you know that around one third of smokers will practise their habit in the company of their children? There is simply no excuse for it and the smoker should go outside to smoke. If this is you and you think that you're not harming your children, then take a closer look.

Hospital Admissions
In the UK alone, 17,000 children under the age of 5 are hospitalised every year due to passive smoking from their parents. Also, one in three babies exposed to smoke will need a hospital visit in the first year of their life.

Cot Death
Having a parent as a smoker gives an increased chance of cot death.

Older Children
Even older children are susceptible and those exposed to passive smoke will have lower lung function and be more likely to miss school.

Cancers
Passive smoking increases the risk of nasal cancer in children.

Mental Capacity
A US study found that children with even low levels of smoke exposure had worse reasoning and reading skills compared with their peers.

As you can see, smoking does not just damage the smoker, it also damages those around them and particularly the young, who are much more susceptible to the ill effects than adults.

If you are a smoker yourself then I implore you to at the very minimum, smoke away from your children, preferable outdoors and not in the house you share with them. If you do, then you are simply being selfish and frankly not fit to be a parent.

Don't want to harm your children anymore? Get the tips and advice that you need to help you to quit at http://www.QuitSmokingAdvisory.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_White

Passive Smoking Damages Your Child's Health

Passive smoking endangers the health of those around you. If you inhale tobacco smoke from smokers, you can consider yourself a passive smoker. Passive smoke is also known as second hand smoke or environmental tobacco smoke.

Health organizations demand stronger measures to protect passive smokers. Public areas such as kindergartens, children's playgrounds, schools, sports facilities, shopping centers, restaurants as well as public means of transport, should be smoke free in the future. Non-smokers, especially children, have a right to their health.

You put your children's health at risk when you expose them to second hand smoke. Tobacco smoke is the most dangerous interior pollutant. Children cannot choose not to inhale nor resist this dangerous cigarette smoke from the smokers as they receive it involuntarily.

Passive smoking induces similar health damaging effects as active smoking. In fact, studies indicate that passive smoking is more harmful than active smoking. Children face higher health risks as compared to adults. They are more sensitive to smoke as their bodies are still growing and developing.

A study by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio reveals that second hand smoke knocks points off your child's IQ. One nanogram of continine per millilitre of blood may decrease your child's IQ scores by an average of two points. It just takes one parent who smokes less than a pack a day to cause the effect.

Passive smoking also affects your child's lung function. Children exposed to passive smoke suffer respiratory illnesses such as phlegm, cough, asthma, rhinitis, wheezing, common cold bronchitis, pneumonia, and shortness of breath. They also get middle ear infections.

Among children, second hand smoke increases the risk of
# development of inflammatory bowel disease

# frequency of asthma attack

# development of lung cancer

# sudden infant death syndrome

# dental decay

# low birth weight

Children exposed to tobacco smoke at home develop asthma, cough, feelings of dizziness, headache, and poor concentration at double the rate. Their sleep disturbances also triple.

The more people smoke in your home, the higher the severity of symptoms your child will experience. Opening a window in a room or in the car cannot protect your child from passive smoking. Even smoking outside your house doesn't provide any insurance for your child. The only sensible way is to quit smoking completely. This will remove almost all dangers on your child.

Many people are not aware of the harmful effects of passive smoking. Pro-smoking lobby groups claim that second hand smoking poses no danger at all. However, evidences show that passive smoke can dent your children's health. Quitting smoking can give your children's health a good start.

Andy Lim, writes web contents for DeadlyPuff.com and exposes the myths of quitting smoking. Discover the dangers of tobacco smoke at his blog today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andy_Lim

Study Reveals - Children Exposed to Passive Smoking Are Likely to Suffer From Serious Diseases

A recent study has disclosed that young children who reside with their tobacco smoking parents were virtually fifty percent more probable to be admitted to an infirmary suffering from a communicable disease prior to reaching eight years of age.

Roughly 30% of minors who were within a ten foot radius of a parent smoking tobacco products during their developing years where at some point in their childhood admitted to hospital.

The Tobacco Control web site has published the results of a study that followed in excess of seven thousand babies born in Hong Kong during the first three months of 1997

The youngsters were closely monitored over an 8 year period and researchers compiled the final results.
The research studies exposed that babies who experienced a lower than average birth weight were susceptible to significantly bigger risks of infection.

Children exposed to tobacco smoke were 75% more likely to suffer from the effects of diseases including meningococcal and respiratory illnesses.

 The compilers of the study from the University of Hong Kong have pronounced that passively inhaling tobacco smoke may undermine the body's immune systems and likewise bring about respiratory diseases including pulmonary emphysema and lung cancer.

The reports on the comprehensive study go on to pronounce "An excess risk of severe morbidity from both respiratory and other infections for all infants exposed to second hand smoke suggests that such exposure, as well as acting via direct contact with the respiratory tract, may also affect the immune system."

So to sum up the study confirms that individual who chose to smoke tobacco products are not only causing untold damage to their own health and wellbeing but also bring about severe damage to their children and close family.

Jackie is the owner of http://www.smokinghelper.com a website which aims to provide help, information, tips and advice to people who are trying to stop smoking and beat nicotine addiction.

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There is a free quit smoking eBook available on on her site, download it today from http://www.smokinghelper.com/grab-yourself-a-free-quit-smoking-ebook-today it has some excellent tips and advice, grab it now and use it to help you stop smoking forever and become known as "Ex Smoker"

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jackie_Winn