Published on
Updated
Reading 2 mins.
According to an American study conducted on children exposed to smoking, children who had the highest levels of cotinine also had high levels of heavy metals in their saliva.
According to a recent study conducted in the United States and published in Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, exposure to tobacco smoke would also increase the presence of heavy metals such as lead in children’s saliva. A discovery that also involves children whose entourage nevertheless seems to be “paying attention”.
The scientists thus examined the data of 238 children aged at most 7 and a half years and measured the levels of cotinine (the breakdown product of nicotine) in the blood, or the saliva of the children. The scientists then found that those with the highest cotinine levels also had higher levels of heavy metals in their saliva, metals like lead. Results directly associated with serious health risks. Cigarettes are not the only culprits: the potential presence of toxic metals is also detected in the aerosolized vapors of electronic cigarettes.
Data that must be better shared for the authors of the study: “Tobacco smoke contains thousands of chemical compounds, most of which are harmful to humans. While increased smoke-free policies and awareness of the dangers of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) have contributed to a substantial reduction in exposure to ETS in recent years, some children continue to experience extremely high levels of exposure. pupils,” warns lead researcher Lisa Gatzke-Kopp.
“We underestimate the consequences of smoking on the development of children”
Consulted on the subject, Dr Olivier Galera tobacco specialist and author of Tobaccolibris, How to Free yourself from tobacco easily, for yourself, for your loved ones, and for the planet” reacts to this study which demonstrates the presence of heavy metals in children affected by passive smoking.
“It’s a nice study but ultimately not so surprising. We know that children exposed to passive smoking are exposed to everything contained in cigarette smoke: nicotine, heavy metals from combustion, fine particles, whatever the exposure to smoke, and even if the parents do not smoke in the presence of their child. The particles permeate textiles, car seats, clothing… The children of smokers are necessarily exposed by their environment.”
For the tobacco specialist, the problem is both a toxic problem and a problem of perception: “we also know from several studies that the toxins contained in cigarette smoke, such as nicotine on children exposed before the age of 9, lead to real repercussions in brain development. Even so, there’s still a delta in public opinion between people who take offense to air pollution, but don’t seem to take into account the impact of passive smoking. Remember that a cigarette burns as many fine particles as 10 diesel cars running for 30 minutes. But we still regularly underestimate the consequences of toxic substances on the development of children.”