Second-hand Smoke is Dangerous to our Children
Published on April 24, 2009 3:57 AM
Several laws are important for inhabitants’ better life, but only one legislation can protect the children’ health, smoking ban inside the cars. This new legislation offers the opportunity to improve the health of Minnesota children too.
Most people are aware of the harmful health consequences of smoking cigarettes as well as the detrimental nature of secondhand smoke. But many people are not aware that secondhand smoke inside of a car also has negative health effects.
When someone lights up a cigarette in a car, the smoke quickly pools in the back seat, which is usually where kids are sitting. This happens even with the windows rolled down. In addition, some of those same toxic chemicals land on surfaces inside the car and affect air quality for several days after the cigarette is smoked.
Since children are still developing physically, they breathe in more air than adults. That means they’re being hit the hardest when people are smoking tobacco near them. For kids with asthma, smoking is a leading cause of illness and ear infection and increases the severity and frequency of asthma attacks.
For example such situation can be met in the African American community, where asthma affects African American children at higher rates than other ethnic groups.
Scientists said in a study that if people will know that it is an offense to smoke in a car with their kids, less people will do it.
Adults have the right to choose if they want to smoke, but child who doesn’t have the freedom to choose the air they are breathing must be protected from smoking which is consider to be a bad habit.
Researchers hope that this new law will be approved this year, and in this way will improve the health of children throughout Minnesota.
