Exposure to cigarette smoke for children is very dangerous, because the immune system of children and infants is still not perfect. Besides being harmful to children's health, cigarette smoke can also interfere with their growth and development. When exposed to cigarette smoke often, children can experience various health problems.
Parents who are active smokers often do not realize that smoke from cigarettes can be easily inhaled by people around, including children. In fact, exposure to cigarette smoke in children can be very dangerous for their health.
Some health problems that can be experienced by children due to exposure to cigarette smoke, such as eye irritation, allergies, asthma, bronchitis, meningitis, and sudden infant death syndrome.
Preventing Children from Cigarette Smoke
Cigarettes have a very high effectiveness in spreading toxic chemicals. This is because the smoke produced by cigarettes can be trapped inside the house and fill the house with toxic substances, such as nicotine, carbon monoxide, and cancer-causing substances or carcinogens.
Worse, all these substances are not only in the location where you smoke. All rooms, including children's and baby's rooms, are at risk of being contaminated by these harmful substances.
In addition, cigarette smoke can also stay in the air for a long time, which is about 2-3 hours, even when the house ventilation or windows are open. Toxins from cigarette smoke can also stick to the body, clothes, hair, and hands.
To be on the safe side, never come into direct contact with a child or baby after you smoke. It's a good idea to wash your hands, clean your face, and change clothes before interacting with your child.
Cigarette smoke can also settle on the floor and objects around where you smoke. This certainly endangers children's health, considering that they often play on the floor and touch objects around them.
Therefore, avoid smoking inside the house or even outside the house, if you are an active smoker. This is because wherever you smoke, the smoke is at risk of reaching children and babies and causing health problems.
The Dangers of Cigarette Smoke for Children
There are several dangers that children can experience from inhaling cigarette smoke, including:
- Causing children to get sick more easily
- Increases the risk of lung infections, such as pneumonia, bronchitis and bronchiolitis
- Makes children cough, wheeze, and shortness of breath
- Trigger asthma attacks or worsen symptoms
- Inhibits child development, especially weight and height
- Cause ear infection
- Causes partial deafness
The dangers of cigarette smoke are not only dangerous for children, but also the fetus in the womb of a smoker's mother. The following are the risks of harm that can be experienced by the fetus if a pregnant woman smokes:
- Fetal heart rate increases
- Miscarriage
- Babies born prematurely or babies with low birth weight
- Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
- Babies born with defects
- Placental disorders, such as placental abruption and placenta previa
There is no safe limit for smoking, both for pregnant women and other adults. Children and babies in the womb can experience serious health problems, if you ignore the dangers posed by cigarette smoke.
Some people feel that they get pleasure from smoking, but don't let the pleasure harm their beloved family in the house that is exposed to secondhand smoke.
Make sure you keep the environment around your child free of cigarette smoke, both inside and outside the home. If the house is already contaminated with cigarette smoke, you can use vacuum cleaner to clean floors and furniture or purified waterer to clean the air in the house.
If your little one shows symptoms due to exposure to cigarette smoke, such as not gaining weight and coughing constantly, especially to the point of shortness of breath or bluish skin and lips, immediately consult a doctor.
