President's Corner

The issue of secondhand smoke (SHS) and its effects is rising as a top priority for public health officials, pediatricians and parents. The overwhelming body of evidence on secondhand smoke’s devastating consequences continues to grow, including SHS’ role in increasing the risk for asthma, heart disease and even heart attacks. However, decades after the Surgeon General first told us about the health risks of smoking, many smokers still may not grasp that their addiction is affecting those around them – especially our kids. Research shows us that a significant percentage of children bear this public health burden. Smokers simply may not understand the issue, and in some cases, parents are unable to protect their children from others’ deadly addiction.


In the February 2011 edition of Parents magazine, I was asked to weigh in on this topic for the “Judy on Duty” column, tackling the tough question of how to talk to relatives about smoking around your children. One mother was faced with the challenge of having a mother-in-law who smoked around her young kids. While this type of confrontation can be daunting, it is a necessary conversation to have in order to protect your children and give them the smoke-free environment that they deserve.

In just the last two weeks, two other studies have been released underscoring how damaging secondhand smoke can be to our youth. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that 24.6 million Americans have asthma and that children, those living below the poverty line, as well those residing in the Northeast and Midwest, have higher than average asthma rates. Secondhand smoke, with its 4,000 chemical compounds, increases the severity of symptoms in those with asthma.

As reported in TIME Magazine last week, children whose parents are smokers are at an increased risk of developing hypertension.

High blood pressure in children can stay with them through adulthood, putting them at higher risk of heart attacks, stroke and heart disease.

The evidence is really unequivocal – there is no safe level of exposure to cigarette smoke, for smokers and for all those around them.