Secondhand Smoke and Children

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the effects of secondhand smoke on children, that include asthma, a variety of other respiratory illnesses as well as a tendency for those children to become smokers themselves, thereby developing a lifetime of health problems. The paper also relates that babies exposed to secondhand smoke have a higher incidence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The paper concludes, however, that through increased science-based education and outreach, the risks associated with secondhand smoke exposure and children may be significantly reduced.

Outline:
Second-Hand Smoke and Respiratory Disease
A Lifetime of Health Problems

From the Paper:

"The public debate over the health effects of smoking is barely half a century old, and the discussion initially focused on smoking as a one-victim crime. Even as science began to uncover links between smoking and cancer, respiratory diseases and other ailments, the prevailing wisdom was that smokers were only harming themselves. Science began to emerge in the 1970s demonstrating that people exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke could develop health problems, such as asthma and sinusitis, and in 1977 Berkeley, California became the first city in the nation to ban smoking in public places, such as bars and restaurants (Murphy, 2006). The dam really broke in 1986, when the U.S. Surgeon General released a report claiming that secondhand smoke was a serious health risk to non-smokers, and children in particular, leading to restrictions in hundreds more communities throughout America (Murphy, 2006)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• American Academy of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery (No date). Children and Secondhand Smoke. American Academy of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery Web site. Retrieved April 23, 3008 from http://www.entnet.org.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2007). Children and Secondhand Smoke Exposure. Centers for Disease Control Web site. Retrieved April 24, 2008 from http://www.cdc.gov.
• Mercola, J. (2005). Second-hand Smoke Kills Your Kids! Retrieved April 23, 2008 from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2005/02/19/second-hand- smoke.aspx.
• Murphy, T. D. (2006). Passive Smoking and Lung Disease. Emedicine.com Web site. Retrieved April 24, 2008 from http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic2625.htm.
• National Institutes of Health (2006). What is Asthma? National Institutes of Health Web site. Retrieved April 24, 2008 from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Asthma/Asthma_WhatIs.html.

More papers on Secondhand Smoke and Children:

• Essay # 89901 : "Dangers of Secondhand Smoke "
• Argumentative Essay # 93305 : "Secondhand Smoke Exposure"
• Persuasive Essay # 135752 : "Why Smoking in Public Is Wrong"

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