PEDIATRICS Vol. 77 No. 5 May 1986, pp. 755-757
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation

Involuntary Smoking—A Hazard to Children

Committee on Environmental Hazards

Children who live in households with smokers are involuntarily exposed to sidestream and secondhand cigarette smoke. The health hazards that result from passive smoking will be reviewed. This statement updates a 1982 American Academy of Pediatrics statement on the environmental consequences of tobacco smoking.1

COMPOSITION OF SIDESTREAM AND SECONDHAND SMOKE

Sidestream smoke arises from the burning end of a cigarette.2,3 Secondhand or exhaled mainstream smoke is drawn into the respiratory tract of the smoker and then is exhaled. Both sidestream and secondhand smoke contain measurable quantities of such toxins as carbon monoxide (CO), ammonia, nicotine, and hydrogen cyanide. They also contain carcinogens, including benzo[a] pyrene, dimethylnitrosamine, tar, formaldehyde, and beta-naphthylamine.2 Concentrations of most of these materials are higher in sidestream than in mainstream smoke.2 Air-sampling surveys have documented the involuntary exposure of nonsmokers to the products of cigarette combustion.2,3 These studies have shown that smoking in enclosed rooms can produce CO levels greater than the national ambient air quality standard of 9 ppm.4 Similarly, elevated concentrations of airborne nicotine, benzo[a] pyrene, and suspended particulates have been documented.4

Biologic evaluations of nonsmokers involuntarily exposed to cigarette smoke have demonstrated elevations of 1% to 3% in carboxyhemoglobin concentration.5 Biologic evaluations of involuntary smokers have also found increased levels of nicotine and of cotinine,6,7 the major metabolite of nicotine, in the urine and saliva. In addition, studies have demonstrated increased activity of enzymes that metabolize benzo[a]pyrene in the placentas of women who smoke8 and, possibly, in the placentas of women involuntarily exposed to cigarette smoke.9




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Am. J. Public HealthHome page
J. A. Jarvie and R. E. Malone
Children's Secondhand Smoke Exposure in Private Homes and Cars: An Ethical Analysis
Am J Public Health, December 1, 2008; 98(12): 2140 - 2145.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
R. A. Etzel
How Environmental Exposures Influence the Development and Exacerbation of Asthma
Pediatrics, July 1, 2003; 112(1): 233 - 239.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
S. E. Tanski, J. D. Klein, J. P. Winickoff, P. Auinger, and M. Weitzman
Tobacco Counseling at Well-Child and Tobacco-Influenced Illness Visits: Opportunities for Improvement
Pediatrics, February 1, 2003; 111(2): e162 - 167.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
R. J. Stein, C. K. Haddock, K. K. O'Byrne, N. Hymowitz, and J. Schwab
The Pediatrician's Role in Reducing Tobacco Exposure in Children
Pediatrics, November 1, 2000; 106(5): 66e - 66.
[Abstract] [Full Text]

Home page
 CLIN PEDIATRHome page
R. C. Cohn, D. Dodson, A. French, B. Ervin, S. Ciarlariello, and T. N. Wilson
Pilot Smoking Cessation on Program Run by Pediatric Respiratory Care Practitioners for Parents
Clinical Pediatrics, February 1, 2000; 39(2): 121 - 124.
[PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
J. G. Zapka, K. Fletcher, L. Pbert, S. K. Druker, J. K. Ockene, and L. Chen
The Perceptions and Practices of Pediatricians: Tobacco Intervention
Pediatrics, May 1, 1999; 103(5): 65e - 65.
[Abstract] [Full Text]