September 24, 2010 – Smoking under the hood at home does not reduce the impact of second-hand smoke on children’s health. You have to smoke outside!
And toasting a cigarette in your car in the presence of children is just as bad, whether the windows are open or not.
These are the main messages delivered by 3 doctors to smokers who have children, as part of the launch of the Smoke-Free Family program.1, set up by the Acti-Menu organization2.
These messages are not new, but it seems necessary to recall them: in Quebec, 11.6% of children are exposed to second-hand smoke at home, i.e. twice the rate of 5.8% observed in others. Canadian provinces.
Overall, 43% of Quebec families ban smoking at home, compared to 64% elsewhere in the country.
“In addition, 40% of Montreal smokers smoke in the presence of children in their vehicle3 », Adds the DD Christiane Laberge.
However, according to the DD Roxane Néron, second-hand smoke is more toxic than that which smokers inhale through a filter, in particular because of the fine particles it releases. “This smoke can contain up to 4,800 chemicals, 60 of which are carcinogenic, such as arsenic, ammonia, benzene, formaldehyde and carbon monoxide, and at concentrations higher than the smoke that people breathe. smokers. “
In children, exposure to second-hand smoke is associated with a higher risk of asthma, bronchitis, otitis. It even seems to be associated with the onset of learning and coordination disorders in boys.
“Children are more vulnerable than adults to the harmful effects of second-hand smoke,” continued Dr.D Johanne Blais. Because they breathe faster, they absorb more toxic particles, while their immune system is not fully developed. “
In addition, second-hand smoke is even suspected to be responsible – at least in part – for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
From left to right: DD Roxane Néron,
DD Johanne Blais, DD Christiane Laberge
Leave the kitchen hood for the balcony
“Smoking under the hood might sound like a good idea, but second-hand smoke is seeping everywhere: it would take 20 air changes per hour – the equivalent of a tornado! – to make it disappear from the house ”, illustrates the DD Christiane Laberge.
As for air fresheners, they can at most eliminate the odor, but not the toxic fine particles.
The three doctors aren’t so focused on getting parents who smoke to quit. All three recognize the difficulties that must be overcome in order to achieve this. “But if they are already smoking under the hood, it is because they are sensitive to the risk that second-hand smoke represents for their loved ones. We ask them to go one step further and go smoke outside, ”concludes DD Blais.
Second-hand smoke is believed to be responsible for 1,700 lung cancer-related deaths in Canada each year4, in addition to increasing the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
1. To find out more about the Smoke-Free Family program: http://famillesansfumee.ca [consulté le 23 septembre 2010].
2. Acti-Menu is an organization attached to the Prevention Department of the Montreal Heart Institute (ICM). For more information: www.actimenu.ca [consulté le 23 septembre 2010].
3. This data is taken from the study Cigarette smoking habits in vehicles in the Montreal region, Écho Sondage 2003.
4. The Lung Association (2010). How second-hand smoke affects your health. www.lung.ca [consulté le 23 septembre 2010].
