Smoking damage to children in focus

The effects of cigarette smoke on children have come under fresh scrutiny in a new report by the World Health Organisation. The report, How second-hand smoke harms and kills non-smokers, has been published as part of World No Tobacco Day (31 May), a global event it has co-ordinated. It points out that 'at least' 40 substances in cigarette smoke have been shown to cause cancer and lists a number of its more immediate effects on children, including an increase in bronchitis, pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses, acute and chronic middle ear infections, and a trigger for asthma attacks in asthmatic...