According to the World Health Organisation:

y Children's passive smoking increases their risk of developing heart disease and cancer as an adult.
y In some children, it may also be a contributing factor in learning and language difficulties, and behavioural problems.
y It has been shown that young children exposed to passive smoking have more dental decay than other children.
y Recent research has also shown that passive smokers are more likely to develop diabetes than people who are not
exposed to smoking.

Childhood illnesses are distressing for the child,
and worrying and expensive for parents. To
minimise the risk of illnesses in children, protect
them from passive smoking.
Graphic courtesy of Smoke Free Homes and Cars Project
Tobacco Control Unit, SA Department of Health
Smoking in pregnancy
y The baby is likely to be smaller at birth.
y The mother is more likely to have a miscarriage.
y There may be more chance of the baby being stillborn.
y Women whose partners smoke have a higher risk of the baby not growing well in the womb.
y Smoking during pregnancy and after the birth of a baby by either parent increases the risk of Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome (SIDS).
Researchers have found another problem for children whose mothers smoke during pregnancy. A study in Norway
showed that these children were more likely to have rule-breaking and aggressive behaviour as adolescents and be
more likely to have been diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). They were also more likely
to have emotional and social problems.
Smoking injuries
Apart from the dangers of passive smoking there are other risks to children who are around people who smoke.
y Poisoning: cigarettes and cigarette ash are poisonous and eating even one butt can make a young child sick. Keep
cigarettes and ashtrays away from children.
y Burns: cigarettes can seriously burn children.
y Matches and lighters: these can cause burns and can (and do) also start house fires and other fires. Keep them
away from children.
y Motor vehicle accidents: smoking while driving increases the likelihood of having an accident.
What you can do
It 's easy to protect your children from passive smoking...
y make your home and car smoke-free. In South Australia it is now illegal to smoke in a car if children are also in
the car.


Graphic courtesy of Smoke Free Homes and Cars Project
Tobacco Control Unit, SA Department of Health
If you are a smoker, you could also decide to...
y only ever smoke outside
y never smoke around children.
If this is not possible, then...
y never smoke in the car when children are with you. From June 1 2007, it became illegal in South Australia to smoke
in a car with children present.
y limit your smoking at home to one room, where your children don't go
y if you smoke outside when they are around, avoid smoke drifting in their direction.
Every step you take to protect children from passive smoke will help improve their health.
When you have visitors?
When you have decided that your family are going to go smoke-free, you will need to let your visitors know too.
Sometimes it can be difficult to ask a guest not to smoke. The easiest way to make your visitors aware is to put up
stickers in your home and car - even amusing ones can make your point. Pointing out the stickers gives you a chance
to let people know that things have changed. (Or if you are non-smokers that you do not want people to smoke in
your house or car.)
You might want to put stickers...
y next to the main entrance to the house
y on the dashboard of the car
y anywhere inside where visitors might usually smoke.





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Serlous Heulth Rlsks to Chlldren
Chlldren ure purtlculurly vulneruble to the effects of secondhund smoke becuuse they ure stlll developlng
physlcully, huve hlgher breuthlng rutes thun udults, und huve llttle control over thelr lndoor envlronments.
Chlldren exposed to hlgh doses of secondhund smoke, such us those whose mothers smoke, run the greutest
relutlve rlsk of experlenclng dumuglng heulth effects.
y (xposure to secondhund smoke cun cuuse usthmu ln chlldren who huve not prevlously exhlblted
symptoms.
y (xposure to secondhund smoke lncreuses the rlsk for Sudden Infunt Deuth
Syndrome .
y Infunts und chlldren younger thun 6 who ure regulurly exposed to secondhund smoke ure ut
lncreused rlsk of lower resplrutory truck lnfectlons, such us pneumonlu und
bronchltls .
y Chlldren who regulurly breuthe secondhund smoke ure ut lncreused rlsk for mlddle eur lnfectlons
.
Heulth Rlsks to Chlldren wlth Asthmu
y Asthmu ls the most common chronlc chlldhood dlseuse uffectlng 1 ln 13 school uged chlldren on
uveruge.
y (xposure to secondhund smoke cun cuuse new cuses of usthmu ln chlldren who huve not
prevlously shown symptoms.
y (xposure to secondhund smoke cun trlgger usthmu uttucks und muke usthmu symptoms more
severe.
Top of Puge
The Sclence Behlnd the Rlsks
1. Surgeon Generul Wurnlng: Secondhund Smoke Puts Chlldren At Rlsk
On June 27th, 2006, the Surgeon Generul releused u mu|or new report on lnvoluntury exposure to secondhund
smoke, concludlng thut secondhund smoke cuuses dlseuse und deuth ln chlldren und nonsmoklng udults. The
report flnds u cuusul relutlonshlp between secondhund smoke exposure und Sudden Infunt Deuth Syndrome
(SIDS), und declures thut the home ls becomlng the predomlnunt locutlon for exposure of chlldren und udults
to secondhund smoke.
y Get more lnformutlon on "The Heulth Consequences of Involuntury (xposure to Tobucco Smoke: A
Report of the Surgeon Generul" ut www.surgeongenerul.gov/llbrury/secondhundsmoke/
2. The Nutlonul Survey on (nvlronmentul Munugement of Asthmu und Chlldrens (xposure to
(nvlronmentul Tobucco Smoke (NS(MA/C(() (U.S. (nvlronmentul Protectlon Agency, 2004)

Key flndlngs:
o 11% of chlldren uged 6 yeurs und under ure exposed to (TS ln thelr homes on u regulur busls
(4 or more duys per week) compured to 20% ln the 1998 Nutlonul Heulth Intervlew Survey
(NHIS).
o Purents ure responslble for 90% of chlldrens exposure to (TS.
o (xposure to (TS ls hlgher und usthmu prevulence ls more llkely ln households wlth low
lncome und low educutlon levels.
o Chlldren wlth usthmu huve us much exposure to (TS us chlldren wlthout usthmu.
o Reud the Report: Fuct Sheet: Nutlonul Survey on (nvlronmentul Munugement of Asthmu und
Chlldrens (xposure to (nvlronmentul Tobucco Smoke (PDF, 2 pp., 89 K, ubout PDF)
3. Resplrutory Heulth (ffects of Pusslve Smoklng (Also Known us (xposure to Secondhund Smoke or
(nvlronmentul Tobucco Smoke - (TS) (U.S. (nvlronmentul Protectlon Agency, 1992)

Key flndlngs:
In udults:
o (TS ls u humun lung curclnogen, responslble for upproxlmutely 3,000 lung cuncer deuths
unnuully ln U.S. nonsmokers. (TS hus been clusslfled us u Group A curclnogen under (PA's
curclnogen ussessment guldellnes. Thls clusslflcutlon ls reserved for those compounds or
mlxtures whlch huve been shown to cuuse cuncer ln humuns, bused on studles ln humun
populutlons.

In chlldren:
o (TS exposure lncreuses the rlsk of lower resplrutory truct lnfectlons such us bronchltls und
pneumonlu. (PA estlmutes thut between 150,000 und 300,000 of these cuses unnuully ln
lnfunts und young chlldren up to 18 months of uge ure uttrlbutuble to exposure to (TS. Of
these, between 7,500 und 15,000 wlll result ln hospltullzutlon.
o (TS exposure lncreuses the prevulence of fluld ln the mlddle eur, u slgn of chronlc mlddle eur
dlseuse.
o (TS exposure ln chlldren lrrltutes the upper resplrutory truct und ls ussocluted wlth u smull
but slgnlflcunt reductlon ln lung functlon.
o (TS exposure lncreuses the frequency of eplsodes und severlty of symptoms ln usthmutlc
chlldren. The report estlmutes thut 200,000 to 1,000,000 usthmutlc chlldren huve thelr
condltlon worsened by exposure to envlronmentul tobucco smoke.
o (TS exposure ls u rlsk fuctor for new cuses of usthmu ln chlldren who huve not prevlously
dlspluyed symptoms.
o Reud the Report: U.S. (nvlronmentul Protectlon Agency, Offlce of Reseurch und
Development, Offlce of Heulth und (nvlronmentul Assessment, Wushlngton, DC, (PA/600/6-
90/006F, December, 1992 (PDF, 525 pp., 4 M)
o 9lew u fuct sheet summurlzlng thls report: www.epu.gov/smokefree/pubs/etsfs.html
4. Heulth (ffects of (xposure to (nvlronmentul Tobucco Smoke (Cullfornlu (nvlronmentul Protectlon
Agency, 1997)
o Reud the full report: www.oehhu.org/ulr/envlronmentul_tobucco/flnulets.html
5. The Nutlonul Toxlcology Progrums 9th Report on Curclnogens (Nutlonul Instltutes of Heulth,
2000)

Key flndlngs:
o In 2000, the Nutlonul Instltutes of Heulth (NIH) formully llsted secondhund smoke us u known
humun curclnogen.
o 9lew u summury of the report: www.nlh.gov/news/pr/muy2000/nlehs-15.htm
6. (nvlronmentul Tobucco Smoke (Chupter 8, WHO Alr Quullty Guldellnes for (urope, Second
(dltlon)( World Heulth Orgunlzutlon)
7. Internutlonul Consultutlon on (nvlronmentul Tobucco Smoke ((TS) und Chlld Heulth (World
Heulth Orgunlzutlon, 1999)








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Health risks children

Children are especially vulnerable to the damaging effects of second-hand smoke. Some of the many health risks
include:
y Passive smoking is a cause of sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI), which includes sudden infant death syndrome
(SIDS) and fatal sleep accidents.
y A child who lives in a smoking household for the first 18 months of their life has an increased risk of developing a range of
respiratory illnesses including wheeze, bronchitis, bronchiolitis and pneumonia. They are also more prone to getting colds,
coughs and glue ear (middle ear infections). Their lungs show a reduced ability to function and slower growth.
y A child exposed to second-hand smoke in the home is more likely to develop asthma symptoms, have more asthma attacks
and use asthma medications more often and for a longer period.
y School-aged children of smokers are more likely to have symptoms such as cough, phlegm, wheeze and breathlessness.
y Children of smokers have an increased risk of meningococcal disease, which can sometimes cause death or disability.
Health risks partners who have never smoked

People who have never smoked, but who live with partners who smoke, are at increased risk of a range of tobacco-
related diseases.

Some of the many health risks for partners who have never smoked include:
y Passive smoking increases the risk of heart disease. There is consistent evidence that nonsmokers married to smokers have
higher risks of coronary heart disease than those whose spouses do not smoke.
y Passive smoking makes the blood more sticky and likely to clot. There is evidence that levels of antioxidant vitamins in
the blood are also reduced.
y Just 30 minutes of exposure to second-hand smoke can affect how your blood vessels regulate blood flow to a similar
degree that is seen in smokers.
y Long-term exposure to passive smoking may lead to the development of atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries).
y Nonsmokers who suffer long-term exposure to second-hand smoke have a 20 to 30 per cent higher risk of developing lung
cancer.
y There is increasing evidence that passive smoking can increase the risk of stroke, nasal sinus cancer, throat cancer, breast
cancer, long and short-term respiratory symptoms, loss of lung function, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among
nonsmokers.
y It is estimated that in Australia, in the financial year 200405, 113 adults and 28 infants died from diseases caused by
second-hand smoke in the home.
Quit smoking as soon as you can

The risks of active smoking are well known. If a smoker cant give up for their own health, the health of their partner
or children could be a stronger motivation. There is a wealth of assistance for smokers who wish to stop smoking.
See your doctor for further information and advice, or ring the Quitline on 13 7848 (13 QUIT).


Reducing the risk of passive smoking

If the smoker is unwilling or unable to stop right now, there are various ways to help protect the health of their partner
and children. Suggestions include:
y Make your home smoke-free. Some smokers think that limiting their smoking to one or two rooms is an effective measure,
but tobacco smoke easily drifts through the rest of the house.
y Make sure that smokers who visit the house smoke their cigarettes outdoors, no matter what the weather. If they object or
take offence, try calmly explaining the health risks of passive smoking, and point out that you simply want to protect the
health of your family.
y Make your car smoke-free. The other occupants will still be exposed to tobacco smoke even if the windows are open. It is
illegal to smoke in cars carrying children under 18 years of age.
y Dont allow smoking in any enclosed space where your partner or children spend time for example inside the garage,
shed, cubby house, boat or caravan.
y Try to avoid taking your children to outdoor areas where people are smoking and you cant easily move away, such as a
caf courtyard.
y Make sure that all people who look after your children (for example, grandparents or babysitters) provide a smoke-free
environment.
Where to get help
y Your doctor
y Your pharmacist
y Quitline Tel. 13 7848 (13 QUIT)
y For more information on living smoke-free, visit www.smokefree.org.au.
Things to remember
y In Victoria, it is illegal to smoke in cars carrying children under 18 years of age and in enclosed workplaces.
y If a smoker cant give up for their own health, perhaps the health of their partner or children will be a stronger motivation.
y Passive smoking increases the risk of respiratory illnesses in children, including asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia.
y People who have never smoked who live with smoking partners are at increased risk of a range of tobacco-related diseases
including lung cancer, heart disease and stroke.








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