By: Dr. Khanh Nguyen, DO
If you’re a parent or you’re going to be one, now is the time for you to stop smoking.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, 54 percent of children aged 3 to 11 years are exposed to secondhand smoke, at home, in cars or elsewhere. There’s also no such thing as a “safe” amount of secondhand smoke, and it’s not enough to just open a window, use a fan, smoke outside or use an air purifier. Even hours later, smoke from a single cigarette can stay in a room.
What makes smoke so bad for children? It’s all in the chemistry. Cigarettes contain the following chemicals, among others:
• Benzene – Found in gasoline; a known carcinogen (cancer-causing chemical)
• Butane – Used in lighter fluid; poisonous
• Ammonia – Used in household cleaners; is corrosive and can cause burns in large quantities
• Toluene – Found in paint thinner; causes brain damage when inhaled in sufficient quantities
• Cadmium – Used in batteries; extremely toxic, a known carcinogen
• Hydrogen cyanide – Used in chemical weapons
With that in mind, nobody should be smoking at all. Expectant mothers who smoke place their babies at risk because smoking is a known cause of lower birth weights, and lower birth weight is “a leading cause of infant death” according to the CDC.
Children are also more susceptible to problems from secondhand smoke because they’re growing and their bodies are developing. Children are at an increased risk for a number of respiratory problems and ailments related to secondhand smoke. Some of these include:
• SIDS – Babies exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), which is also known as “crib death”
• Asthma – Smoking can exacerbate this problem by triggering asthma attacks, which can be life-threatening
• Lung problems – Secondhand smoke can inhibit lung growth in children, leading to long-term breathing problems and inability to exercise
• Infections – Children exposed to secondhand smoke are more vulnerable to respiratory infections
• Cancer – Adults aren’t the only ones at risk for cancer from smoking, and children exposed to secondhand smoke also is connected to childhood cancer, childhood leukemia, childhood lymphoma and more
Lastly, consider the risk to yourself. Smoking compromises your health and that means you can’t be there for your children. Smoking means when they are running and playing at the park or on the playground, you can’t keep up because you’re too out of breath. Smoking means there’s a possibility that you may develop a serious illness (emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] or cancer) and any illness of that nature jeopardizes your ability to be there when your child needs you.
The right choice is to stop smoking and to do it sooner rather than later, and this isn’t a battle you have to fight alone. If you’re looking for ways to stop smoking, there are resources available to you. If you want to learn more about how to stop smoking and how to increase your chances of staying smoke-free for good, visit www.owensborohealth.org, search for “smoking “ in the toolbar and under the search results click on “smoking cessation.” You can also call Owensboro Health at 855-417-8555 and ask for help getting in touch with a professional to help you quit.