The Dangerous Effects of Cigarette Smoke on Children’s Health: SIDS, Respiratory Infections, Asthma, and More

KOMPAS.com – Cigarette smoke is very dangerous for both active and passive smokers, especially children.

Quoting Healthy Children, cigarette smoke is very dangerous for children because their lungs are still developing, not as perfect as adults.

According to Nationwide Children’s, children’s respiratory rate is also faster than adults, especially newborns.

Also read: Cigarette Content That Makes It Dangerous to Health

The speed of an adult breathing (inhaling and exhaling) is around 14-18 times per minute. However, newborns can breathe as fast as 60 times a minute.

When young children inhale smoke-filled air, their developing lungs receive a higher concentration of toxins.

Moreover, it is impossible for a baby to be able to move to another room on his own because the air is smoky. They depend on us to give them clean air to breathe.

Also read: 9 Contents of Electronic Cigarettes That Make It Dangerous

If a child is exposed to cigarettes at home by parents who are active smokers and also exposed outside the environment, he is more likely to develop serious health problems.

It should be noted that every time children inhale cigarette smoke, they are exposed to more than 7,000 chemicals and 50 of them are carcinogenic (cancer causing).

What are the impacts on children’s health, the following article will briefly review them.

Also read: 5 Side Effects of Cigarette Smoke Exposure to Passive Smokers

What are the effects of cigarette smoke on children’s health?

Quoted from Nationwide Childrens, there is no safe level of exposure to cigarette smoke.

Some of the impacts of cigarette smoke on children’s health as passive smokers include the following:

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS): babies exposed to secondhand smoke after birth are more likely to die from it. It occurs 4 times more often in babies who are exposed to secondhand smoke than in babies who have a smoke-free environment. Pneumonia and bronchiolitis: these can occur 4 times more often Respiratory infections: these include colds and sinus infections. Children who become passive smokers will catch colds more often and find it difficult to handle them. Cigarette smoke makes asthma worse and can cause asthma flare-ups more often. Ear infections: this is the most common cause of hearing loss in children. Infection will be exacerbated by inflammation, if the smoke irritates the middle ear canal (Eustachian canal).

Also read: Side Effects of Exposure to E-Cigarettes on Passive Smokers

Quoted from Healthy Children, children with asthma are very sensitive to cigarette smoke.

This can lead to more asthma attacks and the attacks may be more severe, requiring hospitalization.

If you smoke during pregnancy, you are putting yourself and your unborn baby at risk for health problems.

Pregnant women who are active smokers also have a greater chance of having a miscarriage and a higher chance of stillbirth.

Also read: Exposure to Cigarette Smoke Can Be an Indirect Factor in Stunting

Launching Nationwide Childrens, the following types of impact of cigarette smoke on babies:

Lack of food and oxygen for the baby: when the mother smokes, it constricts the blood vessels that carry food and oxygen to the baby. Reducing the amount of oxygen in the blood: this can affect the normal growth of the baby. Low birth weight: the baby in the womb of a smoker may not grow as much as it should. Baby size may never catch up at normal levels. Premature birth: the impact of cigarette smoke on children who are conceived by active smoking mothers may make them born too soon. This can pose serious health risks to the baby, including death. Heart and lung problems: a mother who smokes increases her baby’s heart rate, which can make the baby’s heart work too hard. This can increase a child’s risk of developing heart disease and asthma problems at birth. Smoking during pregnancy causes the baby’s lungs to get smaller. Sudden unexplained infant death (SIDS): a mother who smokes during pregnancy increases the risk of her child at birth experiencing sudden unexplained death in her sleep. Learning and behavioral difficulties: when a mother smokes during pregnancy, her child may have problems at school. The child may have learning difficulties, be hyperactive, and have difficulty concentrating. The placenta separates from the uterus: this causes the unborn child to lose oxygen and nutrients. This increases the risk of growth problems. Your waters rupture too early: this can lead to infection, premature labor and death for both mother and baby. Certain birth defects: these include absent cleft lip and palate, club foot, gastroschisis (defect of the digestive organs), heart defects, cryptorchidism (failure of one or both of the child’s testicles not to descend into the scrotum).

Before the effects of cigarette smoke are experienced by your child, it is better to stop smoking. Quitting smoking also improves your health.

Also read: 11 Dangers of Cigarette Smoke for Babies to Watch Out for

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2023-06-28 14:00:00
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