Family Forum / Parenting / Children's Health / May 2006

"Infants Exposed to Smoking at Risk of Lung Cancer", Forbes, May 12,
2006,
Link:
http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/feeds/hscout/2006/05/12/hscout532657.html

New parents who smoke are putting their infants in danger because
secondhand smoke contains cancer-causing chemicals, a new study found.

These carcinogens were found in urine samples from nearly half of the
infants of parents who smoked, the researchers said.

"There were detectable levels of a lung carcinogen that comes from
cigarette smoke in the urine of these infants," said lead author
Stephen S. Hecht, a professor at the University of Minnesota, and
Wallin Chair of Cancer Prevention at The Cancer Center at the school.

"This indicates that parents should not smoke around their infants,"
Hecht said.

The findings appear in the May issue of the journal Cancer
Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

In their study, Hecht and his colleagues examined 144 infants and found
detectable levels of a chemical called
(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL) in the urine of 47
percent of the babies exposed to secondhand smoke. NNAL is a
cancer-causing compound produced in the body as it processes NNK, a
carcinogenic chemical specific to tobacco.

The level of NNAL detected in the urine was higher than in most other
studies of secondhand -- or "environmental" -- tobacco smoke found in
children and adults, Hecht said. "You don't find NNAL in urine, except
in people who are exposed to tobacco smoke, whether they are adults,
children, or infants."

Hecht is concerned that these findings might indicate a real
susceptibility to lung cancer among the babies once they reach
adulthood.

"This begins what could turn into a lifelong pattern of exposure to
secondhand smoke and to these cancer-causing agents," he said. "We
don't know for sure if that is going to result in cancer in any given
individual; overall, we do know that secondhand smoke is a cause of
lung cancer."

Based on these findings, Hecht suspects that exposure to secondhand
smoke in infancy can lead to lung cancer later in life. His advice:
"Don't smoke around kids."

Dr. Michael Thun, vice president of epidemiology and surveillance
research at the American Cancer Society, agreed that parents shouldn't
smoke around their children, and being pregnant may be a good motivator
to stop.

"This is a very solid study," he said. "It's well known that being
exposed to smoke increases respiratory problems in infants and it
increases middle-ear infections. And there is a suggestion of an
increased risk of cancer."

Cigarette smoke contains 50 different carcinogens and more than 2,000
chemicals," Thun said. "It's not good for babies and small children."

"Pregnancy is an opportunity for both mothers and fathers to stop
smoking," Thun said. "But many women relapse. Just the knowledge that
you are exposing your baby to carcinogens may provide additional
motivation to prevent relapse."

Thun thinks the key message for women is that, while quitting smoking
is hard, "it's the best thing you can do for yourself and your baby."