| Most people are well aware of the relationship between tobacco smoke and lung cancer. Tobacco smoke contains thousands of chemical agents, including trace amounts of poisons like formaldehyde, arsenic, DDT and cyanide. Many of these are also potentially cancer causing, and a large number are irritants to the mucus membranes lining of the nose, throat, and lungs. Although tobacco smoke does not contain allergens that trigger an allergic response, people with allergies may be more sensitive to cigarette smoke than other people, and studies show that tobacco smoke worsens allergic responses to other allergens.
Children are at special risk of lung damage and illness from inhaled smoke. Studies have shown a clear link between tobacco smoke and asthma in young people. Passive smoking worsens asthma in teens and may cause up to 26,000 new cases of asthma each year.
Children exposed to environmental tobacco smoke are more likely to have reduced lung function and symptoms of respiratory irritation, such as coughing, wheezing and excess phlegm (fluid in the lungs and airways). Children with allergies and nasal congestion who are also exposed to tobacco smoke are up to six times more likely than others to have persistent middle ear infections requiring the surgical insertion of tubes. |