Babies and young kids highly exposed to secondhand smoke

Many parents who smoke may not realise that smoke residue clings to their skin and clothes, and gets passed on to their children when they touch them. — TNS

Infants and toddlers in low-income communities may be even more at risk from second- and third-hand smoke exposure than has been believed, according to new research.

In testing that included more than 1,200 children, researchers found that up to 15% of them had levels of cotinine, a byproduct of the body’s breakdown of nicotine, comparable with what would be found in an adult smoker.