Children are very vulnerable to the effects of second hand smoke, because most of this occurs in cars and private homes – locations not covered by outright public bans on smoking, researchers have warned.
Just 10 minutes spent in the back seat of a car with asmoker in the front, boosts a child’s daily exposure to harmful pollutants by up to 30 per cent, a new study has revealed.
Pollutant levels exceeded those found in restaurants, bars, and casinos, the study showed.
The researchers base their findings on 22 assessments of the air quality inside a stationary vehicle after three cigarettes had been smoked over the course of an hour.
On each occasion, levels of pollutants that are normally emitted by cars as well as by cigarettes, were measured in the back seat of a vehicle at the breathing height of a child – with the front windows completely down, and again with the windows open just 10 cm.
These pollutants were also measured outside the vehicle and included particulate matter, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and carbon monoxide, plus nicotine.
Exposure to PAH, in particular, has been linked to immune system disturbances, wheeze, IQ changes, and allergic sensitisation, the researchers said.
The pollutant levels inside the car at both window settings were three times as high as those measured outside, the results showed.
Just 10 minutes spent in the back seat of a car with asmoker in the front, boosts a child’s daily exposure to harmful pollutants by up to 30 per cent, a new study has revealed.
Pollutant levels exceeded those found in restaurants, bars, and casinos, the study showed.
The researchers base their findings on 22 assessments of the air quality inside a stationary vehicle after three cigarettes had been smoked over the course of an hour.
On each occasion, levels of pollutants that are normally emitted by cars as well as by cigarettes, were measured in the back seat of a vehicle at the breathing height of a child – with the front windows completely down, and again with the windows open just 10 cm.
These pollutants were also measured outside the vehicle and included particulate matter, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and carbon monoxide, plus nicotine.
Exposure to PAH, in particular, has been linked to immune system disturbances, wheeze, IQ changes, and allergic sensitisation, the researchers said.
The pollutant levels inside the car at both window settings were three times as high as those measured outside, the results showed.
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