Newborn babies exposed to their mother's smoking through breast feeding and environmental tobacco smoke show significantly higher levels of urinary cotinine. Cotinine is a major metabolite of nicotine, and is used as a marker for recent cigarette smoke exposure.
A study examined 507 infants, finding urinary cotinine levels during the first 2 weeks of life were significantly increased in infants whose mothers smoked. Breast-fed infants had higher cotinine levels than non-breast-fed infants, but this was statistically significant only if mothers smoked. Urinary cotinine levels were 5 times higher in breast-fed infants whose mothers smoked than in those whose mothers smoked but did not breast-feed. Babies definitely receive the harmful chemicals found in cigarettes through both breast feeding and environmental exposure. [4]
Children of smokers are also 2 1/2 times more likely to die of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), or crib death. One study found that nearly 60 percent of all SIDS cases could be prevented if smokers stopped smoking around babies and pregnant women. [5]
A meta-analysis of studies conducted after 1965 showed significant risk to children exposed to secondhand smoke of numerous ailments including asthma, tonsillectomy, lower respiratory tract infections, plus many others. Children were also at risk of death due to fires caused by cigarettes. [6]
One study reveals an incredible statistic: Children of smokers are nearly three times as likely to smoke as children of non-smokers. Parents, have you ever thought of yourself as a drug pusher? [7]
FROM THE WEBSITE: quitsmoking.com.
The average cigarette smoke contains as many as 4000 naturally occurring gases, particles and compounds, including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen cyanide, arsenic and many carcinogens.......mmmmm yummy don't you think?
