Kristie McNealy, MD

This weekend, a quick trip to a local big box store ended in a discussion about why some people choose to smoke around their kids. The topic came up when we walked past a woman smoking in front of the store, while several young kids (who appeared on casual observation to be hers) played on the sidewalk near her. Our 5 year old was more than a little upset by this scene, and wondered allowed why this woman was smoking, and why she didn’t know it was bad for her to smoke around her kids.

According to Dr. Steve Ryan, medical director of the UK’s Royal Liverpool Alder Hey Hospital for Children, 1/3 of the children they treat for respiratory problems are sick because of second hand smoke exposure. Smoke exposure is related to asthma, bronchitis and ear infections. Parents are often warned against smoking around their children, but most probably don’t realize that their babies and children are also taking in chemicals that could be increasing their cancer risk.

A rather frightening study from 2006 showed that many infants (47% of the babies studied) who were exposed to second hand smoke from family members have detectable levels of NNAL in their urine. NNAL is a cancer-causing chemical produced in the human body as it processes NNK, a procarcinogen found exclusively in tobacco. While NNAL couldn’t be detected in all babies exposed to tobacco smoke, there is a good chance that it is present in levels lower than what current tests can detect.

Little is known about the actual longterm effects of NNK exposure in infancy, but there is real potential for this exposure to cause cancer later in life. It also demonstrates a real danger for others who have chronic environmental exposure to tobacco. Yet another thing to think about before lighting up around your kids or other nonsmokers.

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