It’s a known fact – smoking, first or second hand – is bad for our health. It has been shown to have adverse effects such wheezing and allergies among young children.

This latest study, however, showed that second hand smoking, passive smoking, environmental smoke, whatever you call it, can cause behavioral problems in children, especially boys with asthma. Kimberly Yolton, a researcher at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center looked at data on children 6 to 12 years of age who were exposed to an average of 13 cigarettes a day. She found that male children with asthma showed increased symptoms of hyperactivity, and aggression, mood swings, depression and anxiety.

The reasons for the behavioral problems are not known. However, these findings suggest that environment, especially family environment, is a very important factor in diagnosing behavioral problems in children. It is sad, because in these days of smoke-free surroundings, more and more smoking occurs within the four walls of  the home, thus increasing children’s exposure. Sad and bad.

Researchers at McMaster University have found that exposure to nicotine while the baby is still in the womb, whether because the mother was smoking or through secondhand smoke, compromises the baby’s ability to respond to oxygen deprivation which increases the chances of a baby falling victim to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

The birth supposedly triggers a baby’s oxygen-sensing mechanism, which remains active for several months after the birth, that allows a baby to react accordingly in occasions of apnea or asphyxia. Basically, the adrenal gland releases catecholamines which contains adrenaline, the building block of our ‘fight and flight’ response.

Exposure to even little amounts of nicotine compromises this mechanism resulting in babies born with a compromised ability to detect oxygen deprivation, unable therefore to respond accordingly by moving its head.

Resources:
Medical News Today