MEDIA RELEASE  Media embargo – 2 June 2010
Up in Smoke - Babies too exposed to cigarettes (220 words)
Nearly one-third of Australian babies are regularly exposed to tobacco smoke in their homes.
This is the finding of a study published in the June issue of Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.
The infants’ risk of exposure to tobacco smoke is linked with how many smokers live in the house, and where they smoke.
Childhood exposure to tobacco smoke is associated with respiratory illness, asthma and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Infants are particularly vulnerable because of their small body size, higher ventilation rates and underdeveloped immune and pulmonary systems.
Associate Professor John Wiggers and colleagues from the University of Newcastle found that up to 41% of infants less than 12 months old live with smokers and 27% were exposed to tobacco smoke.
 “It is important that people are aware of the risks they expose children to when they smoke around them,” said Associate Professor Wiggers. 
 “The most effective way to protect children is for the parents to stop smoking. This is good for their own health as well.”
Also of significance, the more people in the home who smoked, the less likely there was to be an indoor smoking ban. 
“Australian parents can protect their children from tobacco smoke by either quitting smoking or introducing complete bans on smoking inside the house,” said Associate Professor Wiggers.
ENDS
For more information about this research, contact the University’s Media and Public Relations team on 02 4921 5351.
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The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health is published by the Public Health Association of Australia. Information on the Association and the Journal can be found at http://www.phaa.net.au