from American Thoracic Society
Pregnant women are commonly advised to not smoke, but new research suggests even secondhand smoke during pregnancy may cause harm to the fetus. That conclusion goes beyond harm caused by secondhand smoke after the child is born. Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School researchers sought to clarify effects of tobacco smoke during pregnancy and decreased lung function in children at age six. Study participants were asked about active smoking and household smoking during pregnancy and up to six years after the child was born. The report to the American Thoracic Society concludes that cumulative tobacco smoke is reflected by higher levels of the harmful nicotine by-product cotinine in children at age six.