| Smoking causes eighty percent of lung cancer around | | | | likely to suffer behavioral problems such as |
| the world. One in 5 deaths in the U.S results from the | | | | hyperactivity. In one study, children from similar |
| use of tobacco & each year, smoking claims 400,000 | | | | backgrounds who had parents that smoked scored |
| lives in the U.S. alone. In 1999, 65% of all secondary | | | | 6% lower on tests than children whose parents did not |
| students reported having used some type of tobacco | | | | smoke. |
| product during their lifetime. There was a 16% increase | | | | Birth defects, some studies suggest that smoking |
| in smoking among high school seniors between 1996 | | | | during pregnancy can cause birth defects such as |
| and 1999 in U.S. Each year about more than 3,000 | | | | cleft (split) lip or cleft palate (an opening between the |
| non-smoking adults die of lung cancer as a result of | | | | nose and the roof of the mouth). Smoking is also |
| breathing the smoke of other's cigarettes. | | | | responsible for low birth weight babies, miscarriages, |
| Each year, smoking around children leads to | | | | and SIDS. |
| hospitalization of ~15,000 children & ~ 26,000 new | | | | Cigarette smoking is not only harmful to an individual, |
| cases of asthma, approximately 150,000 - 300,000 lung | | | | but it is particularly detrimental during the reproductive |
| infections like bronchitis and pneumonia. Maternal | | | | period, when it may not only harm the unborn child, but |
| smoking is responsible for 35% of all SIDS (Sudden | | | | may also damage the reproductive capacity of the |
| Infant Death Syndrome) deaths in the U. S. and | | | | next generation. Even though tobacco smoking seems |
| smoking during pregnancy triples the risk of SIDS. Over | | | | to be decreasing considerably among the older age |
| 40% of SIDS is due to mothers smoking during and/or | | | | group, unfortunately the same is not happening among |
| after pregnancy or another person smoking in the | | | | the younger generation. It is estimated that in the U.S. |
| house. Some of the common problems in children | | | | 38% of males and 39% of females between ages of |
| which can be attributed to second hand smoking | | | | 20-24 are regular smokers and more children than |
| include, but are not limited to: | | | | ever before start their smoking habit at a very young |
| Ear Infections, The toxic chemicals in smoke irritate the | | | | age. |
| lining of the Eustachian tube, which leads from the | | | | The most important point that can be made about |
| back of the nose to the ear. The irritated lining creates | | | | cigarette-induced fetal damage is that it is totally |
| mucous which collects behind the eardrum. The ear | | | | preventable and only by informing both prospective |
| may become infected and cause pain or hearing loss. | | | | parents about the potential dangers of tobacco |
| Asthma, Irritants in tobacco smoke can cause the lining | | | | smoking before conception, and particularly the |
| of the airways to swell making it difficult for a child to | | | | dangers of maternal smoking whilst pregnant, can we |
| breathe. Tobacco smoke or even the stale odor of old | | | | hope to reduce these ever increasing statistics of |
| smoke in a car can trigger an asthma attack in a child. | | | | pre-term births, low birth weight infants and children |
| Problems after birth, Mothers who smoke during and | | | | presently suffering from various neuro-developmental |
| after pregnancy may have children who are more | | | | disorders and general ill-health. |