Children's exposure to secondhand smoke tied to clogged arteries

Exposure to tobacco smoke can have long-term
effects in cardiovascular health: Researchers

(Reuters Health) – In a Finnish study spanning 26 years, kids exposed to parental smoking were more likely to develop plaque in their carotid arteries as young adults than kids who were not exposed to secondhand smoke.

These findings and others suggest the health effects of passive smoking on children are not limited to respiratory or developmental health, but can have a long-term impact on cardiovascular health, said senior author Costan G. Magnussen of Menzies Research Institute Tasmania in Hobart, Australia.

Researchers used frozen blood samples from more than 1,000 kids ages three to 18 collected in 1980, along with parental reports of smoking status in 1980 and 1983 from a larger group of kids. They also had ultrasounds of the adult children in 2001 and 2007.

They tested the blood samples for levels of cotinine, a byproduct of cigarette smoke exposure, and looked for a buildup of plaque in the carotid arteries, two large blood vessels of the neck, on the adult ultrasounds.

Carotid plaque can cause narrowing of the arteries, increasing blood clot and stroke risk, according to the National Institutes of Health.

About two percent of the grown-up kids had a carotid plaque uncovered by ultrasound at an average age of 36.

More than 84 percent of kids of nonsmokers had no cotinine in their blood, compared to 62 percent of those with one smoking parent and 43 percent when both parents smoked.

The authors assumed that kids with a parent who admitted to smoking who did not have cotinine in their blood had been exposed to less secondhand smoke, possibly because parents had been careful to keep their smoking away from the child.

Compared to kids of nonsmokers, these kids were about one and a half times as likely to have carotid artery plaque as adults. But kids of smokers with poorer “smoking hygiene” that exposed them to more smoke (and resulted in cotinine in their blood) were four times as likely to have carotid artery plaque as those with nonsmoking parents.

“What we were able to do that others have not, is show that parents who are unable or unwilling to quit smoking can still limit the impact of their smoking on their child’s future cardiovascular health by changing their smoking behavior to limit the amount of smoke their child is exposed to,” Magnussen told Reuters Health by email.

Early smoke exposure is dangerous in
many ways, health experts suggest.

Many smoking parents did not smoke inside the home or car, or smoked well away from their children, to the point where there was no evidence for passive smoke exposure in their child’s blood, Magnussen said.

Plaque buildup, or “atherosclerosis,” can begin in childhood so the results are not surprising, according to Karin B. Michels, an epidemiologist and associate professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

But only 64 out of more than 2,000 grown subjects did develop plaque, which is a very small number, Michels told Reuters Health by phone.

“I would be a little cautious but overall I think it’s an important study and lends more support to the risk of passive smoking for children,” she said. “I don’t doubt that there is a risk and it could be affecting other things like blood pressure.”

Atherosclerotic plaque is particularly dangerous when it develops at an early age, she said.

This group of kids grew up in a time when smoking was much more ubiquitous, and they would have been exposed to more secondhand and thirdhand smoke, said Melbourne Hovell of San Diego State University, who was not part of the new study.

“Thirdhand smoke” is that which lingers on surfaces or in environments and may combine with other chemicals to create toxic substances over time, Hovell told Reuters Health by phone.

Early smoke exposure may have several deleterious effects other than just plaque buildup in the arteries, including an increased risk of later breast cancer and a predisposition to nicotine addiction, Hovell said.

Plus, children of smokers are more likely to become smokers themselves, triggering a cascade of other health risks.

“It’s pretty much a perfect storm,” Hovel said.

“The other message for the lay public is to not allow any smoking in your home or car,” as it will contaminate the environment indefinitely, he said. “Parents with young children probably should avoid buying a used car that has been smoked in.”

Source: Reuters

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Protect children from thirdhand smoke: Pediatrician

No smoke is good smoke when it comes to children.

It’s not enough to go outside to smoke when there are young children in the home, experts warn.

According to pediatricians, even after a cigarette is extinguished and the secondhand smoke has disappeared, smoke chemicals and particles linger on surfaces, materials, clothing and hair.

This “thirdhand” smoke poses a significant risk to children and pets.

Recently released information from the Philip Morris Company presented clear evidence that a highly toxic and cancer-causing substance known as 4-(methylnitrosamino)-I-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) is present for hours after a cigarette has been smoked.

The chemicals and particles remain in the air as well as on surfaces and in household dust, where they can be inhaled or ingested by infants and young children.

A recent study revealed that 18 percent of children (32 million children) are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke. When children were tested for cotinine, a by-product of nicotine exposure from secondhand or thirdhand smoke exposure, more than half (54%) of children had detectable levels.

Health effects of secondhand and thirdhand smoke exposure

Tobacco smoke can be extremely detrimental to children’s health. Secondhand smoke exposure has been linked to

• Asthma
• Sudden infant death syndrome
• Dental cavities
• Ear, sinus and lung infections
• Developmental delays
• Sleep problems
• Poor school performance
• Higher risk of becoming a smoker, too

Most parents know that their smoking is harmful to their children, but it can be very difficult to quit. Experts recommend taking advantage of all the help there is, including talking to your doctors, leaning on supportive family members, quit lines and more.

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer

Air purifiers for tobacco smoke toxins

The 5000 DS air purifier
can handle tobacco smoke
odors, chemicals and particles.

Lingering odors, particles and chemicals from tobacco smoke is not only dangerous for children, it can also be a major irritant to the home’s occupants and visitors.

Opening windows to increase ventilation is a good step toward better air quality, but commonly used gimmicks such as incense and air freshening products only add to the toxic chemical load in the air.

A sure-fire way to remove harmful chemicals, particles and odors from the ambient is with the help of an AllerAir air purifier that is specifically designed for tobacco smoke.

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Did you ever have to deal with tobacco smoke odors and what worked for you? Let us know!

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Secondhand smoke exposure increases risk of long-term effects in children

Study exposes strong link between childhood exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke and chronic cough in adulthood

Breathing smoke between birth and 15 years of age can
have serious health consequences later in life: Study

Exposing children to secondhand smoke could have long-term effects on their health and well-being, University of Arizona researchers warn.

Even non-smokers who were exposed to passive smoking as children are more likely to develop chronic chest infections, they say.

The researchers analyzed data from questionnaires answered by study participants every two years over more than 20 years. More than half of the participants had been exposed to smoke in their younger years.

The scientists adjusted for other factors and found a strong link between the exposure and several persistent respiratory symptoms, especially cough and chronic cough.

Parental smoking also affected the risk of wheezing and asthma in adulthood, although the association was slightly weaker.

Persistent respiratory symptoms may be early risk factors of more serious lung conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) later in life.

Source: Daily Mail

Air purifiers for smoke and tobacco odors

Secondhand smoke is a serious risk not just for the smoker, but also for other people who may be exposed – especially if the smoking occurs indoors.

It’s difficult to remove stale tobacco odors and the lingering chemicals and toxins from the ambient air, but the right air purifier can provide cleaner and healthier air without running the risk of clogging.

AllerAir's air purifiers for
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New evidence of carcinogen in gas released by cigarette smoking

The gas in cigarette smoke may be the most harmful
because of the impacts on body cells, researchers warn.

The fact that cigarette smoke can cause cancer is not new, but researchers are starting to pinpoint exactly how the body reacts when confronted with thousands of chemicals and toxins in tobacco smoke.

In a new study, researchers found a key protein involved in cell function and regulation is stopped by a substance present in cigarette smoke.

The gaseous phase of cigarette smoke contains a cancer-causing agent called reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can inhibit normal cell function and almost completely stop a cell’s sodium pump.

A cell’s sodium pump is vital in the transportation of potassium into the cell and sodium out of the cell. If a cell cannot regulate sodium, it may be prone to damage, disease progression and lower chances of survival.

The researchers say that these findings show that it’s not the particles in cigarette smoke that do the most damage – it’s the gas with this agent that is sufficient to cause harm and that can be breathed in while standing near a smoker.

Cigarette smoke contains more than 4000 components, many of which have been linked to lung cancer.

Secondhand smoke is just as dangerous as primary smoke because of its impact on the cells of the body, researchers say.

They also stressed the importance of keeping children away from cigarette smoke.

The study is published online in the American Journal of Physiology - Lung Cell and Molecular Physiology.

Source: Nemours Center for Childhood Cancer Research

Remove smoke pollutants from indoor air

Anyone who has been around a smoker knows that the persistent odors and toxins from cigarette smoke tend to linger – not only on people’s hair, clothes and skin but also on the furniture, textiles, walls and other indoor surfaces.

The 5000 DS can handle
cigarette smoke and more.

Many air purifiers are unable to handle tobacco smoke and might get plugged up fairly easily.

AllerAir has developed portable and powerful air purifiers for tobacco smoke that can handle all challenges presented by cigarette smoke: Chemicals and odors, particles and tar.

AllerAir’s smoking air purifiers like the 5000 DS feature special tar-trapping pre-filters to prevent clogging and to prolong the main filters’ lifespan.

They also contain a deep-bed activated carbon filter to remove airborne chemicals, gases and odors that are present in tobaccos smoke. A HEPA filter completes the air purification system.

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Radon and smoking – two factors for lung cancer

Smoking is bad enough, but if you also breathe in high levels
of radon at home, your risk of lung cancer increases even more.

If you are smoking, you know the risk. But often people don’t know that they have high radon levels in their home, which increases their risk of developing lung cancer (and some forms of skin cancer, as a new study shows).

Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas that occurs naturally in the environment and that can accumulate in a home after entering it through cracks and fissures in the foundation. Even new homes can have elevated radon levels.

Experts say people can test their homes for radon quite easily and reduce levels of radon with a few relatively inexpensive renovations.

A heavy smoker has a one-in-10 chance of developing lung cancer. Long-term exposure to high levels of radon results in a one-in-20 chance of developing lung cancer.

Both exposures increase the odds substantially to a one-in-three chance, Health Canada says.

The experts shared the following tips:

• Test your home for radon. The winter months are a good time to place the small detector in the basement, if you spend around 4 hours per day there, or on the ground floor. Send it to the lab after three months.
• Seal cracks in the foundation
• Put a cap on the sump pump
• In a home with very high levels of radon, you can install a special pipe and venting system that pumps air outside (active soil depressurization)

You can also use an air purifier with activated carbon and HEPA to help keep the air clean.

Source: The Daily Gleaner

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1. chemicals, gases, VOCs, fumes 
   
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Children living with smokers miss more school

Secondhand smoke can lead to higher
absenteeism rates for school children.

In a national study released by the Massachusetts General Hospital, researchers confirm that school-aged children exposed to environmental tobacco smoke at home have higher absenteeism rates than those who do not.

These children exposed to household smoking were also found to have higher rates of respiratory illnesses that may be linked to tobacco smoke.

"Among children ages 6 to 11 who live with smokers, one quarter to one third of school absences are due to household smoking," says Douglas Levy, PhD, of the Mongan Institute for Health Policy at MGH, the paper's lead author.

"On a national basis these absences result in $227 million in lost wages and time for caregivers or their employers."

The authors note that one-third of U.S. children live with at least one smoker, and more than half of those aged 3 to 11 have detectable levels of a blood marker for tobacco exposure.

Second-hand smoking has been shown to increase incidence of ear infections and several respiratory conditions, and school absenteeism is an accessible measure of serious illness in children.

Children living with one in-home smoker had an average of 1.06 more days absent, and those living with two or more had 1.54 more days absent than did children living in homes where no one smoked indoors.

Study also looked at cost of smoke-related absences

The researchers also tallied the associated costs, including lost income for parents without paid time off, the costs to employers of the lost work, and the inability of caregivers not employed outside the home to take care of usual household tasks.

"The total impact nationwide was $227 million in lost wages and household work for the families of the 2.6 million children living with smokers and for their employers," Levy says.

"Since almost half of the smoking households in our study had low incomes, that impact may be strongest on households least able to afford it."

Activated carbon + HEPA
remove chemicals, particles,
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The experts warn that the study only looked at a few problems connected with exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and that the real health impacts may be much worse.

Improve IAQ with air purifiers for smoke

While quitting smoking or having cigarettes outside is the best way to protect children from secondhand smoke exposure, a portable air purifier with a multistage filtration system may help remove dangerous indoor air pollutants.

AllerAir offers a series of air purifiers designed for smoke and feature special tar-trapping filters, a deep-bed activated carbon filter and HEPA particle filter to remove the widest range of toxins without clogging up.

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