As part of a National Health Promotion campaign, we are trying to raise awareness of the risks to children within a household, where parents smoke. Below is important information about the effects of smoking on your children’s health. If you feel that you want more advice or help to stop smoking, there are some really useful contact numbers and websites at the end.
Why is smoking harmful?
You might think a cigarette is just tobacco wrapped in paper, but it’s much more than that. When a cigarette burns it releases a dangerous cocktail of over 5,000 different chemicals. Many of these chemicals are poisonous, and more than 70 may cause cancer.
How can it affect my child?
Children are more vulnerable to second-hand smoke. They have smaller airways, breathe faster, and their lungs and immune systems are still developing.
The Royal College of Physicians report on Passive Smoking and Children detailed the harm this causes families across the UK:
- Children exposed to second-hand smoke at home are more at risk of coughs, colds, ear problems, chest infections, wheezing, asthma, phlegm, breathlessness and poorer lung function. Children exposed to smoke are also more at risk of Meningitis and sudden infant death.
- Every year, 9,500 children in Britain are admitted to hospital because of the effects of second-hand smoke.
- Second-hand smoke accounts for 40 cot deaths in the UK every year.
- Smoking during pregnancy raises risks of miscarriage, stillbirth, prematurity, low birth weight, still-birth, neo-natal or sudden infant death.
- Children growing up with a parent or others who smoke around them are more likely to become smokers themselves.
Some misconceptions about smoking in the home:
- “If I open a window or door the smoke won’t go in the house”
- “If I smoke when the kids are at school the smoke will have cleared by the time they are home”
- “If I use an air freshener that will get rid of the smell”
Even with the doors kept open, smoke will still spread throughout the house and lingers for up to 5 hours, waiting for children to breathe it in. Most of the particles in the smoke are too small to see or smell, so you won’t know they are there, long after you think the smoke has cleared. Candles and air fresheners may hide the smell of smoke but cannot get rid of the harmful toxins.
How Can I Get Help To Stop Smoking?
The Walsall stopping smoking service can be contacted via:
Website: One You Walsall
Tel: 01922444044 (Monday to Friday: 9.00am to 6.00pm)
If you would like more information and tips on a ‘Smoke-free Home’, please visit: www.smokefreefamilies.co.uk
Walsall Primary Care - Smokefree Homes Webpage
Suggestions of what to include on Smokefree Homes webpage:
General:
- Second-hand smoking is dangerous, especially for children. The best way to protect loved ones is to quit smoking. At the very least make sure you have a smokefree home and car.
Smokefree Home:
- A smokefree home protects your loved ones
- Smoking in the home will have an impact on everyone living and visiting that home. Toxins within cigarette smoke can remain within the home for 5 hours and can easily spread from room to room even with the doors closed.
- By stopping smoking, you’ll help to protect your non-smoking friends and family, too.
- Breathing in secondhand smoke increases the risk of lung cancer, heart disease and stroke.
- In children, it doubles the risk of getting chest illnesses, including pneumonia, ear infections, wheezing and asthma. They also have 3 times the risk of getting lung cancer in later life compared with children who live with non-smokers.
Passive Smoking:
- When friends and family breathe in your secondhand smoke it isn't just unpleasant for them, it can damage their health too.
- People who breathe in secondhand smoke regularly are more likely to get the same diseases as smokers, including lung cancer and heart disease.
- Children and passive smoking:
- Passive smoking is especially harmful for children as they have less well-developed airways, lungs and immune systems.
- Children who live in a household where at least 1 person smokes are more likely to develop:
- Children are particularly vulnerable in the family car where secondhand smoke can reach hazardous levels even with the windows open.
- To protect children, a ban on smoking in cars and other vehicles carrying children was introduced in October 2015. It is now against the law to smoke in a private vehicle if there’s a young person under 18 present.
Healthy Lifestyle Services – One You Walsall:
- One You Walsall is a free healthy lifestyle service dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of all residents across Walsall in making great choices for a more positive lifestyle.
- Services include: physical activity; healthy eating; weight loss; emotional wellbeing; welfare; alcohol reduction; quitting smoking; and NHS Health Checks.
- The team supports everyone - adults, families and workplaces – and also can help to find the right support.
One You Walsall: 01922 444 044 Monday to Friday 9.00am to 6.00pm
www.oneyouwalsall.com
Links: