Children more affected by secondhand smoke

ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Children may be more affected by secondhand smoke than adults, U.S. researchers said.

Dr. Branden E. Yee and his team at the anesthesiology department at Tufts Medical Center in Boston studied 200 children between the ages of 1 and 12 to assess their levels of carboxyhemoglobin, which is formed when carbon monoxide binds to the blood.

Carbon monoxide binds to blood 200 times more easily than oxygen but the resultant carboxyhemoglobin is unable to deliver oxygen to body tissue, including that of the brain, heart and muscle, Yee said.

Household and environmental factors such as stoves, heaters and automobiles are potential sources of carbon monoxide exposure, however, the most likely source of elevated carboxyhemoglobin overall is secondhand cigarette smoke, Yee said.

The study provides evidence that the carbon monoxide levels of children exposed to secondhand smoke are often similar to that of active adult smokers and frequently higher than levels in adults exposed to secondhand smoke.

"The physiology of children -- especially the youngest -- is different from that of adults," Yee said in a statement. "Children breathe in a greater amount of air per body weight compared to adults."

The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, in Orlando, Fla.