PARENTS ARE DELIBERATELY MAKING THEIR KIDS SICK, AT WHAT POINT DOES IT BECOME CHILD ABUSE OR ENDANGERMENT?

Still another study shows that many parents are deliberately making their children sick by needlessly exposing them to tobacco smoke.

As a result, they suffer excessive and unnecessary colds, flues, bronchitis, and pneumonia, and miss 7 million more school days than classmates who are able to breathe smokefree air at home.

Other results of this new study from the federal Centers for Disease Control:

  • more than 10 million children (31.2%) are still being exposed to cigarette smoke in their homes, despite study after study showing how dangerous it is to their health
  • an additional 2 million (5.8%) are exposed less often
  • kids exposed to smoke miss more than 28 million days of school, one third more than kids from smokefree homes
  • these children also have 1.7 million more colds and acute respiratory infections, 10% more than kids who are not exposed
  • kids exposed to tobacco smoke also suffer over 10 million days of restricted activities, such as missing sports practice, 21% more than unexposed kids.

    Not surprisingly, children in homes with low income and educational levels are far more likely (48%) to be exposed than kids in homes with high income and educational levels (28%).

    Exposure also differs by region. Almost half of the kids living in the Midwest (40%) are exposed to tobacco smoke, as compared with 24% in California, where the dangers of secondhand smoke are driven home by statewide bans on smoking in the workplace.

    PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH ANY FRIENDS OR NEIGHBORS WHO SMOKE AND HAVE CHILDREN LIVING AT HOME.

    IF THEY CAN'T QUIT, AT LEAST ASK THEM TO STEP OUTSIDE TO SMOKE, OR TO CONFINE THEIR SMOKING TO A SEPARATE ROOM (SUCH AS A BEDROOM) WHICH THE CHILDREN DO NOT FREQUENT.

    YOU MAY ALSO WISH TO TELL THEM THAT SOME PARENTS HAVE LOST CUSTODY FOR EXPOSING THEIR CHILDREN TO TOBACCO SMOKE, AND A GROWING NUMBER OF STATES CONSIDER SMOKING BY A PARENT IN DECIDING WHICH PARENT SHOULD BE AWARDED CUSTODY.

    [ASH Logo] ASH - ACTION ON SMOKING AND HEALTH

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