7.++Long+Term+Effects





__Long Term Effects: //Second-hand smoke//__ ** Second hand smoke, also called environmental tobacco smoke or passive smoke, is a mixture of two forms of smoke that are derived from burning tobaacco. That being, sidestream smoke and mainstream smoke. Sidestream smoke is the smoke that comes from the end of the lit cigarette. Mainstream smoke is the smoke that is exhaled from the smoker's lungs. Both are dangerous to the person breathing in the smoke //(National Cancer Institute.2007).//

There are more then 4000 chemicals in cigarettes, 50 in which are known to cause cancer. Exposure to second hand smoke to a infant is especially harmful because the infant's lungs have not yet fully developed and if a smoking environment continues throughout infancy there may be some long-term effects that may develop, or prone to developing.

o Infants have three times higher risk of dying from second hand smoke related Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) than from homicide or suicide. o Infants have double the risk of developing mucus, chest discomfort, bronchitis, pneumonia, middle ear disease, asthma, and other respiratory illnesses. o May develop complications with frequent coughs, colds, ear and throat infections. o If prolonged, some may develop behavioural problems, or problems with reading, math, logics, understanding and reasoning //(Health Link BC. 2005)

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__//**Asthma and Second Hand Smoke**//__ In a smoking environment, an infant may develop some form of asthma. If a smoking environment continues throughout infancy, the asthma’s severity and sensitivity may increase; therefore, increasing the number of emergency room visits. As discussed regarding the pregant mother smoking, there is no safe level of exposure to second hand smoke.

Just in the United States, each year second-hand smoke is the factor in 150,000 to 300,000 lung infections (such as pneumonia and bronchitis) in children younger than 18 months of age. The consequences of this are 7,500 to 15,000 annual hospitalizations. In Canada, 1,000 non-smokers deaths every year are due to the exposure of second-hand smoke //(National Cancer Institute. 2007).//
 * For children with asthma, exposure to even small amounts of second-hand smoke can trigger an asthma attack.
 * Breathing second-hand smoke can increase the number of asthma attacks and can make the attacks worse in children with asthma.
 * Exposing children with asthma to second-hand smoke in the home increases the number of emergency room visits and hospital stays.
 * Exposure to second-hand smoke can cause children without asthma to develop it //(Health Link BC, 2005).//