The risk of death in a newborn increases: the impact of vaping on children's health
**Increased risk of death in infants: the impact of vaping on children's health**
The most effective way to completely protect children from passive smoking is to not smoke around them at all. Vaping may be less harmful than regular cigarettes, but it is still not safe.
**How does smoke get into the lungs of a passive smoker?**
The most dangerous tobacco smoke is the smoke that the smoker inhales. Passive smokers are mainly exposed to two types of smoke: smoke from the end of a burning cigarette and smoke that spreads when the smoker exhales.
There is also the concept of "third-hand smoke". These are harmful substances in tobacco smoke that are absorbed into hard surfaces such as floors, walls, tables in the room, as well as clothing, furniture upholstery, curtains, sheets and carpets. These substances can enter the body, especially when a crawling child touches various surfaces and then touches or licks his face with his hands.
**How does secondhand smoke harm children's health?**
Tobacco smoke contains about 250 toxic chemicals, including 69 known carcinogens. Even short-term exposure can be harmful, especially for children.
Babies exposed to secondhand smoke after birth are at increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome. This risk is even higher if the mother smoked during pregnancy.
Children who smoke near their parents are more likely to have: ear and respiratory infections; bronchitis and pneumonia; tooth decay; and severe coughing and wheezing. Even healthy children can experience symptoms such as a stuffy nose, headache, sore throat, eye irritation, and hoarseness.
Secondhand smoke also worsens the condition of children with asthma. They may have more frequent and more severe attacks.
In the long term, passive smoking increases the risk of developmental disorders, lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, hearing loss, brittle bones, and cataracts.
Children whose parents smoke are more likely to start smoking themselves in the future.
**What is the difference between regular cigarette smoke and vaping?**
A study conducted in England compared the amount of nicotine in the bodies of children aged 3-11. It was found that children whose parents vaped got 83.6 percent less nicotine than children exposed to regular cigarette smoke.
There are several reasons for this. Vaping does not produce continuous burning sidestream smoke like cigarettes. Vaping vapor also contains fewer toxins and carcinogens than regular tobacco smoke.
But this does not mean that vaping is safe. Scientists and doctors believe that there is no safe level of passive smoking.
**How to protect your child from passive smoking?**
* **Don't smoke at home:** Even a single cigarette can linger in a room for hours. A fan, air conditioner, air freshener, or open window won't completely solve this problem. Smoke can spread throughout the house through cracks in doors, walls, ventilation systems, and other ways.
* **Don't smoke in the car:** Smoke can linger in the car for a long time. Opening the window won't completely eliminate it. In a moving car, smoke can also get on the faces of passengers in the back seat.
* **Change your clothes if you've smoked:** Harmful substances in tobacco smoke can also be absorbed into clothing. Therefore, before hugging your child, you should change clothes and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
* **Do not go with your child to places where there is smoking:** Even if no one is smoking in the room at the moment, chemicals from previous tobacco smoke can remain on surfaces for months.
* **Clean your home frequently:** Harmful substances in smoke accumulate on surfaces over time. Therefore, it is necessary to wash clothes, blankets and soft toys frequently, and clean carpets. If smoke has strongly penetrated furniture, walls or other objects, in some cases measures such as replacing furniture upholstery and mattresses, repainting walls, and updating carpets and curtains may also be required.