Secondhand smoke has been known to cause a variety of health problems and respiratory illnesses, especially in children, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA has even classified secondhand smoke as a cancer-causing agent. It not only triggers asthma attacks, but it also causes new cases of asthma in children who have not shown previous signs of asthma. These include children as young as preschoolers. Secondhand smoke also results in more severe attacks for asthmatics. The smoke may irritate the bronchial passages of people with asthma.
Development
Children are often more vulnerable than adults to the harmful effects of secondhand smoke. This is due to their developing bodies, the EPA explains. It can slow their lung growth. They breathe more rapidly at this stage in their lives and take in more smoke. Children are at constant risk when they are around parents who smoke. They run a greater risk of experiencing asthma attacks or increasing the risk for developing asthma.
Airways
Asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease. Children are very vulnerable to respiratory illnesses when they are younger than 6 and around people who smoke. It can make their symptoms more severe. The secondhand smoke clogs the airways so the passages may become swollen and filled with mucus.
Severity
Secondhand smoke is responsible for increasing the severity of asthma attacks in from 200,000 to 1 million children each year, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). The results can be expensive because of doctor visits and increased medication. There is also lost school time and lost work because the parent must get the child medical help.
Lung Function
The attacks caused by secondhand smoke can be life-threatening for some children, the ACS says. As of 2009, about 35 percent of children live in homes where the parents or visitors smoke regularly. More than half of children in the United States show detectable levels of nicotine products in the blood. Secondhand smoke may also increase the risk of lung infections, such as pneumonia and bronchitis and decrease lung function. It increases coughing, chest discomfort and other symptoms in asthmatic children.
In Homes
Children who live in households with smokers may have flare-ups more often and are more likely to be rushed to the emergency room for severe attacks. Children with parents who smoke wind up taking more asthma medication and have asthma symptoms that become harder to control. The ACS urges adults, particularly parents, to quit smoking. They should do whatever they can to have smoke-free homes, cars and other areas where children may be.
