Flat-dwelling children exposed to neighbors` smoke too

13.12.2010 [16:18]
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Baku, December 13 (AZERTAC). Children living in flats have 45% more exposure to tobacco smoke than those in detached houses, a US study says.

Researchers from Harvard and Rochester Universities say that is because the smoke seeps through walls and shared ventilation systems.

They tested cotinine levels in blood samples from 5,000 children across the US for the study in Pediatrics.

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) said there was a "strong case" for making blocks of flats smoke free.

Researchers limited the sample in this study to children who live in a household where nobody smokes.

They looked for cotinine - a product of nicotine and a highly sensitive marker for tobacco - in the children`s blood.

The study found that 73% of the 5,000 children analyzed were exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke.

Overall, researchers found that 84.5% of children who were living in blocks of flats had a cotinine level that indicated recent tobacco-smoke exposure, compared with 79.6% of children who were living in attached houses and 70.3% who were living in detached houses.

Flat-dwelling children exposed to neighbors` smoke too

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