40 per cent children exposed to SHS at home!

About 40 per cent of all children are regularly exposed to second-hand smoking (SHS) at home and 31 per cent of deaths attributable to SHS occur in children. Nearly six lakh pre- mature deaths occur as a result of SHS. The primary source of passive smoking exposure for children is their own home, but children are also exposed to SHS in schools and other places.

SHS is a known cause of lung cancer, heart disease, low birth-weight, chronic lung ailments, as well as other health problems. There are more than 4000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, of which at least 250 are known to be harmful and more than 50 are known to cause cancer. In adults, second-hand smoke cause serious cardio vascular and respiratory diseases including coronary heart disease and lung cancer.

In order to warn people about the deadly effects of second-hand smoke exposure on children, a new campaign `Tobacco is Eating Your Baby Alive' has been launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with technical and financial support from the World Lung Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies.

The campaign graphically depicts that exposure to tobacco smoke can cause Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), crippling asthma, painful ear infection, pneumonia and low birth weight among new-borns.

The nationwide campaign is being aired on all major TV and radio channels in 16 languages during February and March, complemented with a national outdoor campaign.

Second-hand smoke exposure increases the chances of children suffering from smoke-caused coughs and wheezing, bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, potentially fatal lower respiratory tract infections, eye and ear problems, and other serious health problems.

Exposure to smoking causes disease and premature deaths in children and adults who do not smoke.

Babies of expectant mothers and newborn children exposed to SHS are at an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome. As their bodies are developing, infants and young children are especially vulnerable to the poisons in SHS. Smoking by parents causes respiratory symptoms and slows lung growth in their children.

It is estimated that more than 21.9 million children are at risk of reading defects because of SHS smoke. Higher levels of exposure to SHS also contribute to reasoning disorders among children. Apart from the massive health hazards caused by second-hand smoking on children's health, it has also been found that children/ youth who are exposed to SHS at home are one and a half or two times more likely to start smoking than those not exposed. Also children who have been affected by second-hand smoking are more likely to hold positive thoughts about the killer habit.

Guidelines to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, an international health treaty signed and ratified by India also state there is no safe level of exposure to SHS, and, therefore, implementing a 100 per cent smoke-free environment is the only effective way to protect the population from the harmful effects of exposure to SHS. The campaign hopes to disseminate this and more.

Courtesy: http://www.thehindu.com/health/article3222764.ece

Image: MoHFW