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The Global Threat of Secondhand Smoke

Though studies have linked secondhand smoke to death an illness, a new study suggests that very little is done by parents to protect their children. Appearing in the latest issue of the American Journal of Public Health, the study examined the smoking histories of the adults in the homes, exposures to secondhand smoke inside the house, around the community, and attitudes toward smoking. Researchers used air-sampling technology to examine nicotine levels in the homes and hair samples to measure individual levels of exposure in non-smoking women and children.

Concentrations of nicotine in the air were 17 times higher in households with smokers compared to those without, and nicotine concentrations were about 13 times higher in homes that permitted smoking compared to households that voluntarily banned it. Researchers also found nicotine in homes without smokers, indicating that visitors and others sometimes smoked in the homes. Children had higher levels of nicotine than women did, and among children living with a smoker, those under 5 years old had levels nearly twice as high as children ages 5 and older.

Lead researcher, Heath Wipfli states, "Our research clearly shows that parents are failing to protect their children from secondhand smoke exposure, perhaps because they are unaware of the risks. The rults highlight the need to improve public awareness of the importance to go outside to smoke to limit the exposure of women and children living in the home."

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