What with the horrific pictures of blackened lungs and deformed babies on cigarette packs and countless warnings about the dangers of smoking in the media, it seems that the anti-smoking squad is everywhere all at once. Unfortunately, perhaps because we keep hearing about it, we have somehow managed to numb ourselves to it.

The truth is most smokers are not affected by what they hear – the negative effects their habit can have on their health and thus, continue puffing, which not only harms their bodies, but also render them a hazard to the people around them – most of all, children.

The evils of second hand smoke

It’s a known fact that second hand smoke can be as or more harmful than actually smoking a cigarette. The risks of lung cancer, heart disease and chronic lung disease are increased significantly in adult non-smokers when they are exposed to second hand smoke. According to Professor Phillip Eng, Consultant Respiratory Physician at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre in Singapore, the risk of lung cancer amongst passive smokers can increase up to seven times compared to non smokers. He says, “The degree of increased risk is proportionate to the amount of exposure the passive smoker has to cigarette smoke. For example, a father who smokes two packs a day gives his kid a higher risk of lung cancer than if he smokes one pack per day.”

These risks, already substantial in a fully grown adult, are further compounded in a child, owing to his smaller body size. When a child breathes in second hand smoke, he is breathing in the same amount of poisonous chemicals as the smoker, the impact of which is the potential development of certain health conditions. Children exposed to cigarette smoke regularly may also get sick more often. Health conditions related to cigarette smoke that could afflict children include asthma, respiratory infections and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

“Kids, whose parents smoke, risk having poorly controlled asthma than if their parents were not smokers. Poorly controlled asthma then results in the kids having more frequent asthma attacks and emergency doctor visits.” says Prof Eng. He also warns that parents who smoke, also put their children at higher risk of developing lung infections, which can range from the flu, colds and worse, pneumonia. If the threat to young children is already so high, imagine the dangers cigarette smoke poses to newborn babies. Prof Eng adds, “Newborns whose parents smoke have a higher risk of suddenly dying in their sleep – a condition known as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).”

These health conditions do not just disappear when the child grows up. “The risk of developing these health issues accumulates with continued exposure to the toxins in cigarette smoke.” says Prof Eng. This means that the health repercussions of exposure to second hand smoke continues into adulthood if nothing is done to curb it.

Long Term Risks

Aside from the higher risk of developing certain health conditions, smoking around children also has negative long term effects on their behaviour. Parental smoking is associated with higher ‘youth smoking’, something that has been suggested in a Students’ Health Survey conducted by the Health Promotion Board in 2006, which showed that one in every 11 secondary school student smokes, and out of those who smoke, more than half of them have at least one parent who smokes. The younger a person is when he begins smoking, the greater the risk of eventually contracting smoking caused diseases such as cancer or heart disease, if they haven’t developed them already from passive smoking.

If you’re a parent and a smoker, the best way to protect your children from second hand smoke is to simply quit smoking, as well as ensure that caregivers besides yourself do not smoke as well. This is because even when smokers have finished a cigarette outside, they are still breathing out smoke when they enter the house again, contaminating the air. Nicotine also attaches to the hair and body, while there are other particles that attach themselves to the smoker’s clothes. The combination of exhaled smoke, nicotine and other particles, pollute the otherwise clean air and results in the child breathing in these poisonous substances. Clearly, there is no safe level of cigarette smoke that children can be exposed to and parents and/or caregivers should thus quit smoking completely to ensure a safe environment.

Tips for quitting smoking

We know that quitting smoking is easier said than done, especially if the smoker has had the habit for many years. Short of giving up your kid for adoption, what can a parent who smokes do to ensure he/she kicks the habit permanently? We asked Associate Professor Munidasa Winslow, Consultant Psychiatrist at Raffles Hospital, for some tips to effectively quit.

1. A smoker can go cold turkey, in which he goes without cigarettes immediately, until he doesn’t get the urge to smoke anymore
2. He/she could also cut down the number of cigarettes smoked gradually, reducing the number smoked each day
3. Quit Smoking Aids, otherwise known as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), may also offer some help. NRTs are intended to replace nicotine obtained from smoking and they help the smoker control his nicotine cravings and reduce his urges to smoke in the early days of quitting. There are different types of NRTs, available over the counter at pharmacies and they include:

• Nicotine patch
• Nicotine gum
• Nasal spray
• Nicotine inhaler
• Nicotine lozenges

4.  There is also prescription medicine available to help a smoker quit his habit. These can only be obtained from a doctor and are designed to reduce cravings for nicotine and through this mechanism, help smokers quit. These include:

• Varenicline (trade name Champix), a smoking cessation drug that simultaneously reduces nicotine cravings and decreases the pleasurable effects of smoking
• Bupropion (trade name Zyban or Wellbutrin), an antidepressant that reduces cravings for nicotine and help to relieve symptoms of depression. Bupropion’s efficacy is similar to that of NRTs.

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