Secondhand smoke still affecting millions of California children

Despite low smoking rates, many children
are still exposed to secondhand smoke.

[Update: The initial study results were flawed and instead of 2.5 million children about 966,000 children are still affected by secondhand smoke, according to NBC LA. The university researchers issued an apology, citing a methodology error.]

California is the state with the second-lowest smoking rate in the U.S. – but experts estimate that 2.5 million children under the age of 12 are still at risk because of exposure to secondhand smoking.

The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research has analyzed data from several cycles of the California Health Interview Survey to come up with the following findings:

• About 561,000 children are directly exposed to secondhand smoke in the home
• About 1.9 million children live in a home where a family member smokes. These children may be at risk because they are exposed to secondhand and thirdhand smoke, even if smoking is not allowed in the home itself
• African American children are three times more likely to live with smokers
• Children from lower-income level homes are more likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke
• Rural children are at greater risk than children in urban areas

The study can help policymakers identify targeted campaigns to reduce the number of households that allow smoking in the home.

Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke have a greater risk of developing asthma, respiratory infections and other ailments. They also have a higher risk of becoming smokers themselves.

Source: UCLA. Read the full press release.

Air purifiers for tobacco smoke, odors and toxins

Tobacco smoke contains chemicals and carcinogenic toxins as well as tiny particles that have been linked to serious health conditions like cancer.

Researchers have identified more than 7,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, including arsenic, benzene, cadmium, ethylene oxide, formaldehyde and toluene.

Of course, tobacco smoke also contains the addiction-causing substance nicotine and tar, a resinous and partially combusted particulate matter that is formed during smoking.

Air purifiers for smoke: See
AllerAir's 5000 DS and the
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In order to be effective for tobacco smoke, an air purifier need the largest possible activated carbon filter, which provides an extensive adsorbent surface area for the removal of chemicals, gases and odors.

AllerAir’s air purifiers for tobacco smoke also feature HEPA filters to trap 99.97% of particles of 0.3 microns in size and special tar-trapping pre-filters that prolong the lifespan of the main air filters.

Contact AllerAir today to find out more about our line of air purifiers for tobacco smoke, or to get a personalized recommendation based on the size of the space, the amount of pollutants and other important factors.