World No Tobacco Day 2018- What Is Tobacco Smoke?

Infants and children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of exposure to tobacco smoke because they are still maturing physically and mentally. Children absorb more smoke because they breathe faster than adults, inhale more air relative to their body weight, and have a higher metabolism than adults. The harmful products of tobacco smoke can be passed to the infant through breast milk. Young children are also exposed to third-hand smoke (THS) because they often put objects in their mouths and are crawling on the floor.

Infants and children who are exposed to tobacco smoke are at higher risk for:

- death within one month after birth and/or within the first year of life (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

- ear infections

- asthma

- respiratory infections (e.g., bronchitis and pneumonia)

- allergies

- enlarged adenoids

- development problems (e.g., learning and memory)

- behavioral problems (e.g., Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)

- Type II diabetes

- cancer, heart disease and stroke in adulthood