Fetuses exposed to secondhand smoke can be affected by toxins in the pregnant mother’s bloodstream. Children being breastfed can still be affected by the toxins in the mother’s bloodstream
- The effects of secondhand smoke on growing lungs are more dangerous and harmful, as the lungs are not given a chance to grow normally, develop a natural resilience and function properly. These children might suffer from chronic bronchitis, congestion of the lungs, phlegm secretion and continually be affected by chest inflammations. One of the statistics published in the US estimates that secondhand smoking is responsible for 150,000 to 300,000 cases of bronchitis (sepsis) in children under the age of 18, with 15,000 requiring hospital care to treat chest inflammations.
- Children can suffer from chest allergies and inefficient lungs with wheezing during respiration. Some children suffer from chronic coughing.
- Children who already suffer from asthma are also more likely to be prone to complications when exposed to secondhand smoking. There are anywhere between 200,000 to one million children that suffer from asthma. Secondhand smoke is the main reason for complications or healtcare professionals not being able to control this disease in the United States. Also, exposure to secondhand smoke was the main reason some of these children have developed asthma.
The following table shows some of the chemicals a secondhand smoker inhales directly in a 300 m2 area in a period of eight hours:
