HHS HealthBeat (November 9, 2010)

Smoky homes and kids

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Nearly 90 million Americans who don’t smoke are still exposed to the toxic chemicals in smoke, because someone else has been smoking. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says this includes children. And the CDC’s director, Dr. Thomas Frieden, says the risk is far higher for kids who live with smokers:

``Virtually no kids who live with smokers – only 1 to 2 percent – actually are smoke-free when we tested their blood for toxins caused by tobacco smoke.’’ (10 seconds)

Frieden says there is no alternative to quitting. But people who don’t quit now could still not smoke in their homes. Ventilation alone can’t get all the smoke out of a building.

The study is in the Vital Signs section of CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: May 7, 2011