Do you think people who smoke in a room with their children are guilty of child abuse???

Second hand smoke has been proven to be more harmful than regular smoking. This is something that has been on the radio, tv and in the newspapers, yet people continue to smoke around their children.

Is this any worse than the lead that we find in toy products or on our walls or in our schools?

How about the harmful chemicals kept under the kitchen sinks?

Every time a person breathes in second-hand smoke, over 100 harmful chemical agents - carcinogens and toxins are consumed. Some of these carcinogens include benzene, 1,3-butadiene, benzoapyrene, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone and many others.

Negative Effects Of Second Hand Smoke

There is no doubt within the international scientific community that second-hand smoke causes heart disease, lung cancer, nasal sinus cancer, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), asthma and middle ear infections in children and various other respiratory illnesses. It has also been linked to stroke, low birth weight, spontaneous abortion, negative effects on the development of cognition and behavior, exacerbation of cystic fibrosis and cervical cancer.

During the past two decades, numerous scientific bodies have concluded that second-hand smoke is dangerous to health:

For more information, go to this website

http://www.ocat.org/healtheffects/index.html

Researchers have discovered the presence of cancer-causing chemicals in the urine of babies who breathe in environmental tobacco smoke.

Secondhand smoke can have an impact on child custody decisions.

The possible consequences of parental smoking in a custody case can range from termination of parental rights or a change of custody and restrictions on visitation to the smoking parent.