Doctors are praising a blood test done on children which helps identify whether they have been exposed to cigarette smoke. This month, researchers at the University of California have demonstrated more than half of children surveyed tested positive for exposure to smoke, despite claims by their parents to the contrary.
The results of the study indicated children may be exposed to second hand cigarette smoke without their parents cognizant knowledge.
Effects induced by second hand cigarette smoke in children include sudden infant death syndrome, dissolution of the respiratory system, ear infections and asthma.
The blood test checked the children for cotinine, a chemical which the body makes following exposure to nicotine; the study noted 55 percent of the samples taken from children tested positive for cotinine.
The 496 samples used in the study were taken from children ages one to four.
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