How harmful is second-hand smoke to children?

How harmful is second-hand smoke to children?

According to statistics, as many as 180 million children under the age of 15 are harmed by second-hand smoke in our country. For these children whose functions in all aspects are still in the accumulation stage, second-hand smoke will not only irritate their delicate eyes and throats, but also significantly increase their risk of lung cancer and heart disease. Especially for young fathers, the constant pinching of cigarette butts in your hands will cause "second-hand smoke" to seriously threaten the health of your children.

"Second-hand smoke" is scarier than "first-hand smoke"

Secondhand smoke, also known as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), includes both mainstream smoke exhaled by smokers and sidestream smoke directly from cigarettes, cigars or pipes. The composition of second-hand smoke is almost the same as that of first-hand smoke. Secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 harmful substances, of which more than 40 are carcinogens. In secondhand smoke, the release rate of many compounds in sidestream smoke is often higher than that in mainstream smoke, such as carbon monoxide, which is 5 times higher than that in mainstream smoke; tar and nicotine are 3 times higher; and nitrosamines are 50 times higher. If inhaled by non-smokers, it may cause carcinogens and radon decay products to mix, causing greater harm to the human body.

"Second-hand smoke" is very harmful to children

Children generally experience higher environmental exposures than adults, they breathe more air than adults, and they breathe more air than adults. "Secondhand smoke" can cause sudden death syndrome, ear infections, bronchitis, pneumonia, and affect lung development in children. In addition, it can also increase the risk of respiratory diseases in children in the future.

Secondhand smoke can trigger asthma in children

The child's body is still in the development stage, so he needs to breathe fresh air at this time. And if children are exposed to an environment full of second-hand smoke, their health will be greatly affected. This is because children have poor self-protection capabilities, coupled with imperfect immune function, children are very prone to asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, and in severe cases, sudden death. Studies have found that children whose relatives smoke at home are much more likely to develop the disease than children from non-smoking families.

Secondhand smoke increases children's risk of meningitis

Children who are often exposed to second-hand smoke will greatly increase their risk of meningitis. British researchers have conducted corresponding experiments before. They found that children under the age of five who are often exposed to second-hand smoke are twice as likely to develop meningitis as children under normal circumstances. And if the mother smoked during pregnancy, the risk of the disease will triple. Therefore, as parents, not only should you not smoke, but you should also prevent your children from being exposed to cigarettes.

For the sake of your children, please put an end to "second-hand smoke".

Source: Medical popular science expert


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