Adults who smoke are likely to be irritated at how few places they are allowed to smoke in, but they can take heart from the fact that all the various smoking bans mean that kids are getting less second hand smoke.
Bans that prohibit smoking in public places like offices and restaurants mean that people have less exposure to second hand smoke. And now researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health are saying that this is having a positive impact on kids as well.
According to the findings of the Harvard study, if children in non smoking households are part of a community that imposes smoking bans, they will have less exposure to second hand smoke.
Though most second hand smoke exposure is found at home (one in five children has a smoker living in their house) they come in for exposure to second hand smoke elsewhere as well.
The smaller lungs of children which are still in the stages of growth and development are more susceptible to harm and second hand smoke has been linked to problems ranging from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, to asthma and ear infections. The study found that smoking bans positively impacted nicotine levels found in the blood of children.
