Homes and Cars Press Releases

Secondhand Smoke Reduces Children's Learning Skills

CONTACT:
Paul McIntyre or
Jean Carter
(916) 780-0226

A recent study by the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, linking secondhand smoke (SHS) to impairments in the learning abilities of youth, found evidence of exposure to nicotine in 84 percent of children examined. Its authors estimate that as a result, 33.3. million children in the United States are at risk for deficits in reading, math, logic and reasoning skills.
 
The largest study of its kind to date, it supports a growing body of research that suggests that exposure to SHS impairs the cognitive abilities of youth. It is significant in that it is the first study to rely on scientific biomarkers to measure exposure to SHS instead of parental or self-reporting. It also reveals that impairments occur with exposure to very low levels of SHS.
 
The study, Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Cognitive Abilities Among U.S. Children and Adolescents was published in the January 2005 edition of Environmental Health Perspectives, the journal of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
 
The authors compared levels of the biomarker cotinine, which is a product of the breakdown of nicotine in the body, to the results of tests conducted between 1988 and 1994 on children 6 to 16 years of age nationwide. They concluded that reading, math, visual construction abilities, and short term and working memory were all negatively affected by SHS. Paul McIntyre, President of the Roseville, California based nonprofit, Kids Involuntarily Inhaling Secondhand Smoke (KIISS) says, "All parents want what's best for their children, and this should serve as a dire warning to those who allow their kids to be exposed to secondhand smoke."
 
The largest impact was seen at the highest levels of exposure. Remarkably, the decrease in cognitive abilities appeared to be proportionally greater at the lowest levels of exposure, especially when it came to reading abilities.
 
It has long been known that exposure to the 43 carcinogens in secondhand smoke increases by four times the incidences of bronchitis, pneumonia, ear aches, colds and respiratory infections among children. Secondhand smoke has also been linked to an increased need for tubes in the ear, and to higher rates of asthma among children and Sudden Infant Death (SIDS) among infants (estimated at between 1,900 and 2,700 deaths annually by the American Lung Association).
 
The first five years of life are critical to the mental and physical development of children. KIISS is battling to protect children from the dangers of exposure to secondhand smoke during these important years. They distribute a KIISS Kit, which educates parents and guardians about the dangers of secondhand smoke, and encourages solutions for protecting their children. These kits can be ordered free of charge from KIISS' website at www.kiiss.org.
 
Founded in 2000, KIISS is made up of individuals influential in passing California's workplace and restaurant smoking ban AB 13 in 1994. In addition to its efforts to promote smoke free homes and cars, KIISS works closely with the restaurant industry nationwide to create smoke-free workplace and restaurant environments such as California has enjoyed for the past ten years.

To receive a KIISS Kit and decal on helping your favorite restaurant go smoke free, please contact KIISS at www.kiiss.org.