Fag Outside,Inhale Inside

Parents who smoke outside continue to expose their children to the bad effects of smoking, says an Australian study.

The findings claim that the suspended respirable articles, which includes nicotine, were considerably higher, where smokers lived as compared to houses of non-smokers, although they may be smoking outside the house.

Dr. Krassi Rumchev, study lead author feels that the that there could be underestimation of passive smoking in homes, as the harm caused by outside smokers could be high in such homes. Smoking outside may not necessarily protect the children from secondhand smoke. Parents need to stop smoking if they want to create a smoke-free atmosphere within their homes.

Children when exposed to secondhand smoke suffer from respiratory illnesses, which include asthma colds and coughs as compared to those living in a smoke-free household.

Researchers have urged doctors to advise parents to avoid smoking in their homes. Smokers need to be educated about the harmful effects of smoking in their homes. Efforts need to be made to make residential areas smoke-free. Smokers tend to disperse smoke into their homes when coming inside even if they thought smoking outside was better. When they enter the house, they are still breathing out the air. This contaminates the surroundings within the house. Also nicotine gets attached to the body and hair and clothes also smell of tobacco.

The study also observed that children suffering from cold and coughs were prone to higher levels of nicotine as compared to those who were not. It was found that opening windows and putting on the air-conditioner did not reduce the tobacco smoke in the environment. This study adds further to previous research, which highlight the impact of tobacco smoke on young lungs and developing immune system.