Want to know more about secondhand/thirdhand smoke and how this affects children? Dr Teoh Oon Hoe, Head and Senior Consultant at KK Women's and Children's Hospital, gives detailed answers to your questions.
If you’re a smoker and a parent, smoking doesn’t just harm you, it also harms your children. Studies have shown children of smokers tend to fall ill more often and have respiratory problems. Children with asthma are also more likely to suffer from more severe and frequent asthma attacks around secondhand smoke.
Dr Teoh Oon Hoe, Head and Senior Consultant from the Department of Paediatrics, Respiratory Medicine Services at KK Women's and Children's Hospital, gives detailed answers to your questions.
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Dear Dr,
Is haze consider second hand smoke ?
Will exposing my child in a hazey condition will trigger asthma?
Thanks.
Nazirla
Answered by Dr Teoh Oon Hoe, Head and Senior Consultant, Respiratory Medicine Service, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital
Haze is not considered as second hand smoke, but like tobacco smoke it also contains fine particulate matter and toxic gases harmful to one’s health. Healthy children who have short term exposure to the haze may have some breathing, nose and eye related symptoms, but generally recover on their own in time if they limit their on-going exposure to haze. However in children with pre-existing medical conditions such as asthma, allergic rhinitis and allergic conjunctivitis, similar symptoms like cough, difficulty breathing, runny/blocked nose, sneezing, dry/sore throat, and watery/itchy/red eyes are more likely to develop with greater severity with exposure to the haze. Children with asthma, especially those with poorly controlled asthma, are at increased risk of having an asthma attack that may require unscheduled medical attention or hospitalisation when exposed to the haze. Children with asthma who are prescribed controller medications should therefore take them regularly as prescribed by their doctors, to reduce the risk of them suffering from an asthma attack during the haze period.
Question by janey
How 'dangerous' is second hand smoke in a coffee shop for children? What level and amount of time of exposure is considered harmless versus bad? Also, would car smoke be equal or less bad than cigarette smoke? I am worried because my kids take the bus back everyday and just walking along the road exposes them to lots of car smoke? Thanks
Answered by Dr Teoh Oon Hoe, Head and Senior Consultant, Respiratory Medicine Service, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital
Second hand smoke is a mix of the smoke emanating from the end of a lit cigarette, pipe or cigar and the smoke exhaled by a smoker. Those who breathe in second hand smoke inhale nicotine as well as other toxins, just like smokers do.
It is difficult to quantify exposure to second hand smoke accurately in many real life settings such as a coffee shop as there are many variable factors – e.g. the proximity of the child to the smoker, the size of the coffee shop and how well ventilated it is, the number of smokers in the coffee shop. In general, there is no “safe” level of exposure to second hand smoke - as long as one is able to smell the tobacco smoke, there will be some degree of irritation to the air passages from the tobacco smoke even with brief exposure. The symptoms from brief exposure to second hand smoke vary with individuals, depending on their health condition. Children with no lung diseases may not show observable symptoms from brief exposure, but a child with poorly controlled asthma may cough and even have difficulty breathing with the same brief exposure. With regular repeated exposure to second hand smoke, all children are at increased risk of respiratory infections and diseases, and there is a strong relationship between the exposure to second hand smoke and childhood asthma control.
For similar reasons relating to the physical environment, traffic volume, types of vehicles on the road, and individual susceptibility quoted above, it is not easy to directly compare cigarette smoke to car exhaust exposure in real life settings and generalise it for everyone, but we do know that regular repeated significant exposure to either of them can lead to acute and long term health consequences. To try to help put the comparison of tobacco smoke and car exhaust in perspective somewhat, in a 2004 study conducted by the Tobacco Control Unit of Italy’s National Cancer Institute in 2004 in a 60m3 garage, three cigarettes lit one after another for 30 minutes was found to produce 10 times as much fine particulate matter air pollution as an idling ‘eco-diesel’ car engine for the same duration of time. In general, regular repeated exposure to second hand smoke (and also third hand smoke) in the home for a child is likely to be more harmful than daily brief walks next to the road.
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Dear Doc,
What is 3rd hand smoking? I heard it is very harmful to kids especially. How to protect against 3rd hand smoke?
Answered by Dr Teoh Oon Hoe, Head and Senior Consultant, Respiratory Medicine Service, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital
Third hand smoke is refers to the harmful residual nicotine and chemicals left on indoor surfaces by tobacco smoke. Some of these harmful residues can be released back into the air as gases that can be inhaled even after the cigarette has been extinguished. Some of these residues can also further react with common indoor pollutants to create a toxic mix. This toxic mix of third hand smoke contains cancer-causing substances, posing potential health hazards to nonsmokers who are exposed to it. Studies have shown that third hand smoke can cling to hair, skin, clothes, floors, walls, furniture, drapes, bedding, carpets, dust, vehicles and various other surfaces, even long after smoking has stopped. Infants and children are at higher risk from this exposure as they are more likely to inhale or ingest the toxic mix by touching substances containing third hand smoke and putting their fingers into their mouths. Third hand smoke is a relatively new concept, and its potential impact and danger is still being looked into by researchers.
Third hand smoke residues build up on surfaces over time and resists normal cleaning. These residues cannot be eliminated by airing out rooms with opening of windows, or using of fans or air conditioners. The best and only way to protect nonsmokers from third hand smoke is to create a smoke-free environment – at home, in the family vehicle, and in public transport and public places.
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Will 3rd hand smoke affect a pregnant women? Is it as bad as 2nd hand smoke?
Answered by Dr Teoh Oon Hoe, Head and Senior Consultant, Respiratory Medicine Service, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital
As mentioned above, third hand smoke can affect non-smokers, including children and adults. Hence, yes, third hand smoke can also affect a pregnant woman and her fetus. The majority of the studies in pregnant women and their fetus/children have been done looking at the effect of second hand smoke, showing harmful effects for the pregnant woman and her fetus/child. As third hand smoke is a relatively new concept, the extent and severity of its impact on pregnant women and their fetus/children is still being looked into by researchers.
Ref: R14
