






What
You Should Know About Second-Hand Smoke and Your Child
(Keep in mind: 50-60% of children under 5 years of age live
in homes
with at least 1 adult smoker)
• Linked annually with 300,000 cases of infant respiratory illness
• Infants exposed to second-hand smoke are 3 times more likely to die of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)
• 20% of children’s asthma cases are caused by parental smoking
• Linked with 26,000 new cases & 1,000,000 worsened cases of asthma in children
• Children of smokers are more susceptible to colds and other upper respiratory infections
• Causes 150,000 to 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections annually in children under 18 months, resulting in as many as 15,000 hospitalizations
• Exposure increases number of ear infections a child will have and how long they will be ill
• Can lead to a build-up of fluid in the middle ear, the most common cause of surgery for children
• Increases risk of a child developing lung cancer later in life
• Contains more than 4,000 substances, more than 40 of which are known to cause cancer in humans and animals
• Smoking mothers produce less milk and their babies have lower birth weight
• Children of mothers who smoked during and after pregnancy are more likely to suffer behavioral problems, such as hyperactivity
• Associated with reduction in lung function and has been found to cause a slower growth of lung volume