Published ,
Reading 2 mins.
According to an American study, children living in “smoke-free” homes but where one of the two parents is a smoker end up in 97% of cases with nicotine on their hands.
Led by researchers at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the study aimed to investigate how much of the nicotine in expired tobacco could be deposited everywhere. And this particle seems particularly tenacious.
97% of children with nicotine on their hands
Indeed, the researchers found that in homes where the parent(s) smoked outside the home (in the garden or on the balcony, for example) 97% of children had nicotine particles on their hands, coming from the exhaled smoke that has settled on the environment (walls, carpets, curtains, garden furniture, etc.).
The problem is that these children ingest these particles by touching these objects and then putting their fingers in their mouths. Chemicals from exhaled smoke by smokers can also be absorbed directly through the skin of their hands.
Differences according to socio-professional category
Published in the JAMA Network Open, the study also mentions strong economic disparities in the households studied, which affect children exposed to nicotine. Indeed, children in the lowest income families (where parents earned less than $15,000) had higher levels of nicotine particles on their hands with 14 nanograms collected, compared to less than 3 nanograms per wipe in households. with the highest incomes (over $120,000).
The problem with these particles is that they can increase the risk of respiratory and infectious diseases, including asthma, bronchiolitis and pneumonia, and also damage DNA in exposed tissue cells. Dr. Melinda Mahabee-Gittens, a member of the Cincinnati Hospital’s Emergency Medicine Division and a longtime researcher on the impact of exposure to tobacco pollution, does not hide her surprise and concern: “In this study, we expected exposures in smoke-free homes to be close to zero, but they were not.“.
What to do to limit the damage?
“All we can do is raise awareness and make people understand what they are doing. It’s a potent mix of pollutants that you shouldn’t expose your children to.” explain the researchers. They therefore recommend that parents clean their interior very regularly from dust, by washing carpets, curtains, etc. However, the best prevention is still that of quitting smoking.
Because passive smoking has parallel victims and also kills between 3,000 and 5,000 people each year.