Passive smoking and respiratory diseases in children

Passive smoking results from the involuntary inhalation by one third of the smoke produced by the consumption of a tobacco product. Tobacco smoke is the most dangerous source of air pollution in the home, due to its high concentration of toxic products. It contains more than 7,000 chemicals, 70 of which are carcinogenic.. While it quickly becomes invisible and odorless, tobacco smoke lingers in the air for several hours. Environmental tobacco smoke, responsible for passive smoking, irritates the eyes, nose and throat of people exposed to it. It exposes those present to a risk of cardiovascular diseases (heart attack, stroke), lung cancer and chronic respiratory diseases. Passive smoking, if it is more toxic in a closed environment, is also more toxic in an open environment, particularly in covered places (terrace, bus shelter, etc.)

Children are often more exposed to secondhand smoke than adults. In children, exposure to secondhand smoke causes the following respiratory diseases:[1] :

• Common respiratory symptoms (eg, coughing, sneezing, and shortness of breath)
• More frequent and severe asthma attacks
• More frequent respiratory infections (ear infections, sinusitis, bronchitis and pneumonia)
• Impaired lung development with loss of breathing capacity into adulthood.

Worldwide, more than 60,000 children under the age of five die each year from lower respiratory tract infections caused by second-hand smoke.[2]Those who survive to adulthood are more likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) later in life.

In addition to the risks associated with passive smoking, there are also those associated with ultra-passive smoking.