The Effects of Smoking on Your Family

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The Effects of Smoking on Your Family

Kim D. Houde, MD, MS
Assistant Professor of Family, Medicine and Community Health, UMass Memorial Healthcare

It is a familiar scene in my office... a parent bringing in a child ill with a cough, cold, ear infection, pneumonia, or asthma. Did you know? If you don't smoke you're a lot less likely to be in this situation, and your children will be healthier. Smoking has many adverse effects on the health of your children as well as your partner. Remember, while you may choose to accept the risks associated with smoking, your children and your nonsmoking partner have not. They are involuntary smokers.

Involuntary smoking or passive smoking occurs when nonsmokers inhale the tobacco smoke of others. This includes both mainstream smoke and sidestream smoke. Mainstream smoke is smoke that is inhaled and then exhaled into the air by smokers. Sidesteam smoke comes directly from the burning tobacco in cigarettes. Besides tar and nicotine, cigarette smoke contains many nasty chemicals and poisons including carbon monoxide (the same substance found in car exhaust), arsenic (that's what's in rat poison), butane (which is lighter fluid), ammonia (floor cleaner), formaldehyde (used to preserve corpses), acetone (nail polish remover), and hydrogen cyanide (gas chamber poison).

Second hand smoke contains all of these toxic substances. When you smoke around your family, you expose them to these substances.

Children of smokers have more coughs and colds, more problems with asthma, more pneumonia, bronchitis and bronchiolitis and they are more likely to be hospitalized for these conditions. Children of smokers have more surgeries for tympanostomy (ear) tubes, tonsillectomies, and adenoidectomies. And babies of smokers are more likely to die of sudden infant death syndrome. In addition, cigarettes start fires. Some children die and many more are injured in fires started by cigarettes. The risk of all these conditions increases as the amount of smoke a child is exposed to increases. If the parent who smokes is the one who handles most of the child care, the risks are greater. And the risk is highest when both parents smoke.

Did you know? Your children are less likely to smoke if you do not smoke yourself.

Children are more likely to try cigarettes or to become smokers if one or both parents smoke. Parents are important role models for their children. And tobacco companies want your children to become addicted. Camel cigarettes Old Joe cartoon character advertising campaign was very appealing to children, who thought Old Joe was "cool" and wanted to be friends with him. Camels went from the least popular to one of the most popular cigarette brands among children as a result. Fortunately, we are lucky to have a true hero here in Massachusetts, Dr. Joseph DiFranza at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, whose research revealed the astounding influence this ad campaign had on children's smoking behavior. New research by Dr. DiFranza shows that teenage smokers very quickly develop symptoms of nicotine addiction. In some children, symptoms of nicotine addiction developed within just four weeks of starting smoking! And the earlier children begin smoking, the more likely they are to develop a disease related to smoking.

Did you know? If you don't smoke your partner will be healthier. Adults who are involuntary smokers have more heart disease, more problems with asthma, more problems with poor blood circulation, and more lung cancer. Nonsmoking spouses married to heavy smokers have 2-3 times the risk of lung cancer compared to those married to nonsmokers.

Did you know? If you don't smoke you're a lot more likely to be around to see your children and grandchildren grow up. Many smokers die when they are only middle-aged. My own father died from a smoking-related cancer. My oldest son's only memory of him is from when he was ill with cancer. He did not even live to see most of his grandchildren. Don't let this same fate befall your family.

Smoking affects your family in many ways. Passive smoking exposes them to many risks. If you don't smoke, your children and partner will be healthier, your children will be less likely to become smokers themselves, and you yourself are more likely to be around to enjoy them.
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"Remember, while you may choose to accept the risks associated with smoking, your children and your nonsmoking partner have not. "

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This type of article always made me feel guilty. I would deny its truth. :
Shalom!