Clean Air, Clear Thinking
Secondhand smoke can cloud your child's thinking. Even very low exposure appeared to lower children's scores on tests measuring cognitive skills, according to a recent study.
Prevent exposure to secondhand smoke by not lighting up or letting others do so in your home, car, or anywhere around your child. If that's not possible, use a high-quality HEPA filter to remove most of the harmful chemicals that can linger even after the air has cleared.
In a study analyzing research on over 4,000 children and adolescents between the ages of 6 and 16 years, scores on reading, math, and reasoning tests were closely related to environmental tobacco-smoke exposure. To assess the degree of exposure, researchers measured the children's blood levels of cotinine, a substance produced by the body when nicotine is broken down. High levels of cotinine in the blood were linked to lower test scores.
To help ensure your child's cognitive skills remain sharp, protect him or her from secondhand smoke by forbidding other people to smoke around your child. Ask family members or guests who smoke to step outside. Patronize businesses, amusement parks, play areas, and restaurants with no-smoking policies. And make sure there's a smoke-free environment wherever your child spends time, such as schools, daycare facilities, and the homes of friends.
