High nicotine levels in smokers' children

 

If a child has only one parent who smokes, they could have 5.5 times higher levels of cotinine – a by-product of nicotine – in their system.

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According to a University of Leicester-led study, the researchers measured cotinine in youngsters' urine and found a big difference whether the mother or father was the smoker in the household .

A mother was found to have the biggest effect on cotinine in the urine by quadrupling it.

Having a smoking father doubled the amount of cotinine.

Cotinine is one of chemicals produced when the body breaks down nicotine from inhaled smoke to get rid of it.

Sleeping with parents and lower temperature rooms were also associated with increased amounts of cotinine.

The researchers measured 100 urine samples taken from infants aged 12 weeks.

At least 71 of the babies out of the 100 tested had at least one parent who was a smoker. Thirty-three babies had parents who were non-smokers.

Poorer homes more damaging to kids

The authors from University of Leicester Medical School, working with Warwick University, said: "Babies affected by smoke tend to come from poorer homes, which may have smaller rooms and inadequate heating.

"Higher cotinine levels in colder times of year may be a reflection of the other key factors which influence exposure to passive smoking, such as poorer ventilation or a greater tendency for parents to smoke indoors in winter."

Sleeping with a parent is a known risk factor for cot death and the authors suggest that one reason for this could be inhalation of, or closeness to clothing or other objects contaminated with, smoke particles during sleep.

Nearly 40 per cent of under-fives are believed to be exposed to tobacco smoke at home, and smoke may be responsible for up to 6,000 deaths of young children per year in the US alone.

The authors wrote: "Babies and children are routinely exposed to cigarette smoking by their carers in their homes, without the legislative protection available to adults in public places."

There are practical difficulties in preventing smoking in private homes, the authors acknowledged, as it relies on parents or carers to be educated about the harmful effects of passive smoking on their children.

The study was published online ahead of print in Archives of Disease in Childhood.

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