kids involuntarily inhaling secondhand smoke (kiiss) creating smoke-free homes and cars for kids

Kids Involuntarily Inhaling Secondhand Smoke (KIISS)

Creating Smoke-Free Homes and

Cars for Kids


Topics

1. What is Secondhand Smoke (SHS)2. What is the Problem3. The Dangers of SHS Exposure4. Why Kids are More Susceptible5. Health Risks to Kids6. Pregnancy and SHS7. Solutions for Protecting Kids


What is Secondhand Smoke (SHS)

A combination of the smoke emitted by the burning end of a cigarette, cigar or pipe and the smoke exhaled by the lungs of the smoker.1



• SHS has higher concentrations of many of the toxins found in inhaled cigarette smoke.1

• SHS contains more than 4,000 chemicals, at least 250 of which are toxic, and more than 50 of which can cause cancer!1



Chemicals, gases, and metals in cigarette smoke that are inhaled by smokers and non-smokers alike:2

• Metals: aluminum, titanium, lead…• Acetone – nail polish• Ammonia – floor/toilet cleaner• Arsenic – poison used in pesticides• Carbon monoxide – car exhaust fumes• Chromium VI –pigments for dyes, inks• Ethanol – alcohol



AND…• Formaldehyde – preserver of body tissue• Benzene – industrial solvent• Hydrogen cyanide – gas chamber poison,

chemical weapons• Methanol – rocket fuel• Nitrobenzene – gasoline additive• Polonium 210 –chemical element that

gives off radiation• Cancer Causing Agents: urethane,

nickel, cadmium…


What is the Problem?

• The Environmental Protection Agency has classified SHS as a Group A carcinogen – one of the most dangerous substances known to cause cancer.3

• In 2006, the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Resources Board designated SHS a Toxic Air Contaminant, an “airborne toxic substance that may cause and/or contribute to death or serious illness”.4


What is the Problem?

• The U.S. Surgeon General’s 2006 report on secondhand smoke concluded that secondhand smoke causes disease and premature death in nonsmoking adults and children.5


What is the Problem

2006 Report by the Surgeon General5

• There is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

• Breathing even a little secondhand smoke poses a risk to your health.

• Separating smokers from non-smokers, cleaning the air, and ventilating buildings cannot eliminate secondhand smoke exposure.


What is the Problem

2006 Report by the Surgeon General5 • 60 percent of nonsmokers have

biological evidence of exposure.• Adult exposure is decreasing due to

workplace laws, but children are still exposed at home.

• Children show levels of exposure more than twice those of adults.

• An estimated 22 percent of children (60 million) are exposed in their homes.


What is the Problem

•Parents are responsible for 90 percent of children’s exposure to secondhand smoke.6 •It takes up to three hours for the smoke from one cigarette to clear from an average sized room.7


What is the Problem

•Even after the smoke is gone, toxic residue remains on the carpet, walls and on objects. Children may absorb these toxins.8

•Smoking in cars, even with the windows open, can produce smoke pollution that compares with smoky bars .9


Dangers of SHS Exposure

• Kills more than 50,000 nonsmokers each year,10 about the same number of Americans as die from murder, drugs, and AIDS combined11

• Causes more than 3,000 lung cancer deaths and more than 45,000 heart attack deaths in NON-SMOKING adults each year4

• A nonsmoker exposed to SHS at work or home increases their risk of heart disease by 25-30%, and lung cancer by 20-30%12


Dangers of SHS Exposure

Normally, tiny little hairs called cilia expel toxins and mucus from the lungs. Tobacco smoke damages the cilia, leading to a buildup of bacteria and an increased number of infections.


Why Kids are More Susceptible

Kids are Especially Susceptible!• Children breath at a faster rate than adults,

inhaling more air.• Children’s bodies are smaller than adults,

and their immune systems are less developed.

• Often children can’t escape smoky environments.

• Kids can inhale the equivalent of 102 packs of cigarettes by age 5.13


Health Risks to Kids

• Increased risk for bronchitis, pneumonia, colds, and other respiratory infections3,5

° twice as likely to suffer from acute lower respiratory disease14

• Greater risk of middle ear infections3,5 ° greater likelihood of needing tubes in

their ears and losing their hearing



Asthma:• Can cause new cases of asthma3,5

• Can trigger attacks, and make attacks more severe3,5

• 400,000 to 1 million US children have their asthma worsened by exposure to SHS16

• Asthma is the 3rd leading cause of hospitalization for kids under 1517



• Reduced lung development and capacity3,5

° coughing, wheezing, breathlessness

• Increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)3,5

• May increase risk of leukemia, lymphoma, and brain tumors in children5



• Increased risk of contracting cancer later in life15

• Higher rates of school absenteeism nationwide20

• Impaired learning ability: lower scores on reading, math, logic & reasoning tests21


Pregnancy and Secondhand Smoke

Dangers of secondhand smoke and smoking during pregnancy:• Higher rates of Sudden Infant Death

Syndrome (SIDS)5,22

• Low birth weight and development issues5

° Low birth weight is the second leading cause of infant death23


Pregnancy and Secondhand Smoke

• Increased chance of miscarriage and stillbirth5

• Increased risk of premature birth5

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)24

• Weaker lungs, which increases the risk for many health problems5


Solutions for Protecting Kids

What can you do?•Don’t smoke in your home and car and don’t let others to do so when children are present.•Never smoke around a pregnant woman and if you’re pregnant, don’t smoke.



• Tell guests that you don’t allow smoking inside because you want to protect your family.

• Make gum or mints available as an alternative for guests who smoke.

• Place a chair, table and ashtray outside to make guests feel more comfortable smoking there.



• Post no smoking signs in your home and car to let people know about your decision to make these places smoke-free.

• If someone in your household smokes, be understanding, but encourage him or her to quit or smoke outside. Let them know that cigarette smoke affects everyone, not just the smoker. Let them know you want to help.



• Don’t allow babysitters or other people who work in your home to smoke around you or your children.

• Find out about the smoking policies of the day care providers, pre-schools, schools and other care-givers for your children.



• Help other parents understand the serious health risks to children from secondhand smoke.

• Work with parent/teacher associations, your child board and school administrators, community leaders, and other concerned citizens to make your child’s environment smoke-free.



The best thing you can do for your children’s health is quit smoking

° California Smoker’s Helpline1.800.NO.BUTTS www.nobutts.org

° US Dept. of Health and Human Services1.800.QUITNOW 1800quitnow.cancer.gov


For more information contact:Kids Involuntarily Inhaling Secondhand Smokewww.kiiss.org

Funding provided by:First 5 Placer - Children & Families Commissionwww.placer.ca.gov/cfc

kids involuntarily inhaling secondhand smoke (kiiss) creating smoke-free homes and cars for kids

Documents

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