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Secondhand Smoke Can Have Many Harmful Effects on Children
The Great American Smokeout is Thursday, November 20. Here are a few facts to consider about the effects of secondhand smoke on children.
According to the Texas Department of Health's Office of Tobacco Prevention and Control, children are the most susceptible to secondhand smoke. Statistics show that:
- Forty-three percent of U.S. children aged 2 months to 11 years live in homes with at least one smoker. (U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, "Exposure to Secondhand Smoke Widespread," July 1997)
- Each year, exposure to secondhand smoke causes 150,000 to 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis in infants and children younger than 18 months. These infections result in 7,500 to 15,000 hospitalizations yearly. (U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Office on Smoking and Health)
- About 6,200 children die each year in the United States as a result of parental smoking - 2,800 deaths are linked to low birth weights caused by smoking while pregnant; 2,000 deaths are attributed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS); 1,100 deaths are caused by respiratory infections; 250 deaths are caused by burns from fires caused by cigarettes, matches or lighters; and 14 deaths are caused by asthma. (Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, July 1997)
- From the Tobacco Information and Health Bulletin, Office of Tobacco
Prevention and Control, Texas Department of Health
Courtesy of
Texas Medical Center News
©2006 Texas Medical Center
E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu
URL: http://www.tmc.edu/health_briefs/11_17_97-smoke.html
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