When there is a smoker in the house

Leonardo Trasande, MD, shares advice for parents on how to keep your children safe from second-hand smoke when there is a smoker in the house
How To Keep Your Kids Safe With A Smoker In The House
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When there is a smoker in the house

Tobacco smoke is increasingly known to contribute to an array of health hazards in children, ranging from impacts on brain development, to irritations of the lungs, among a host of other conditions. What we're learning is that even the smallest amounts of tobacco smoke exposure can be harmful. We used to think it was simply primary smoke exposure, then we found out that being near a smoker was a problem, and we are increasingly finding that living in a home that previously had a smoker, the so-called "third-hand smoke," is a problem. So in general, the #1, #2, and #3 thing to do, if a family member is smoking where a child lives, is to have the family member stop. The most important thing to know is that there are many tools that the smoker can use to quit, ranging from gums and patches, that limit the exposure to the smoke in the home. Now if that fails, or as a fail-safe in the short-term, I do suggest that the family member not smoke in the house at a minimum, that they change their clothes before handling the child, among other things, to reduce their transport of the thousand or so chemicals that are found in tobacco smoke.



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Leonardo Trasande, MD, MPP

Associate Professor, NYU School of Medicine



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