Stub it out

Almost a third (30 per cent) of those surveyed by the British Dental Health Foundationsaid they would stop smoking due to the effects it has on children. More than one in four (26 per cent) said the danger of developing mouth cancer would be the reason they quit, while less than one in five (19 per cent) said the risk of lung cancer.

Children are often exposed to second-hand smoke in the home and particularly cars. Public Health Minister Anne Soubry has already called for smoking to be banned in cars carrying children on “child welfare” grounds as children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of second-hand smoke.  Exposure increases the risk of cot death, glue ear, asthma and other respiratory diseases.

A review by the British Medical Association’s Board of Science concluded that there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke for children as adverse effects can be found at low levels of exposure.