Smoking and Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS)

General Information

Everyone needs to become more aware about the harmful effects that second-hand tobacco smoke can have on the health of a child, both before and after birth. Second-hand tobacco smoke increases the likelihood of complications for the fetus, as well as complications during the pregnancy and delivery. Once the child is born, the harmful affects of second-hand tobacco smoke will continue.

Whether a pregnant woman smokes or is exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke, chemicals cross the placenta into the unborn baby. Complications to the fetus can arise because the placenta does not filter out the chemicals produced by second-hand tobacco smoke. Carbon monoxide and nicotine are two chemicals which greatly affect the fetus. Carbon monoxide reduces the ability of the blood to carry adequate oxygen to the unborn baby's tissues. Nicotine can affect the central nervous system, genital, gastrointestinal, and urinary systems of the unborn baby. Nicotine can also cause placental blood vessels to narrow, diminishing the baby's food supply.
Complications that can arise during a pregnancy include miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy (egg implants outside the uterus), and premature rupture of the membranes which can lead to premature birth or the development of infection. Even if no complications appear during pregnancy, after delivery, a newborn baby who was exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke in the womb is at a higher risk for: low birth weight, damaged lungs, and death within one month after birth.

The effects of second-hand tobacco smoke continue to affect the child after birth. The harmful products in second-hand tobacco smoke can be passed to the infant in breast milk. Infants and children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of second-hand tobacco smoke because they are still maturing physically and mentally. Children absorb more smoke because they breathe faster than adults, inhale more air relative to their body weight, and have a higher metabolism than adults. Infants and children who are exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke are at a greater risk for:

• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
• Ear Infections
• Asthma
• Respiratory Infections (i.e. bronchitis and pneumonia)
• Allergies
• Development Problems (i.e. learning and memory)
• Behavioral Problems (i.e. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)