Smoke Leaves Nicotine By-Product in Kids' Hair

A recent Columbus Children's Hospital study found that, even in homes where parents report never smoking inside the house, children had measurable levels of cotinine in their hair. Cotinine is a substance produced by the liver as it breaks down nicotine.

This study is one of several on the hazards of secondhand smoke to children presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Baltimore. Two others found that even low levels of exposure to secondhand smoke can cause slight declines in math and reading scores, and can affect the way a newborn's body is able to regulate its heart rhythm, reports HealthScoutNews.

Parents must realize and understand how harmful tobacco smoke is to children, and the best thing they can do for their kids is quit smoking, says lead author Dr. Judith Groner, a clinical professor of pediatrics at Columbus Children's Hospital in Ohio.

Moderator Comment: What do retailers need to do to be associated as a smoking cessation resource center in the minds of consumers?

Putting products on the shelf is just the start. [George Anderson - Moderator]

• Smoke Gets in Kids' Hair - HealthScoutNews