Canadian researchers conducted a study on 1800+ children, meant to determine if second-hand smoking may indeed cause in non-smokers the same symptoms that regular smokers exhibit, as previously speculated.

 

In their conclusion of the study, the scientists revealed that more than 5 percent of all test subjects, aged 10 to 12, showed signs of depressed mood, sleeping disorders, irritability, anxiety, inability to concentrate and increased appetite, which are usually associated with smoking.

 

The study was conducted in full cooperation of nine institutes in Canada, including the University of British Columbia, Université de Moncton, Université de Sherbrooke, and the Institut national de santé publique du Québec. Dr. Jennifer O'Loughlin, senior author of the study and a professor at the Université de Montréal's Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, said that prolonged exposure to cigarette smoke took its toll on young children, causing them to exhibit alarming symptoms. Dr. O'Loughlin argued that authorities needed to implement and support a system to prevent adults from smoking in rooms or cars where children are present.

 

The kids that were subjected to these tests came from 29 Quebec schools and were “recruited” via AdoQuest, a campaign that monitors health-threatening habits nationwide. They all came from different social environments and none of them had smoked a cigarette before. The scientists behind the study said that it was built on previously known facts about the effects second-hand smoking had on non-smokers.

 

The official tobacco “policies” state that a non-smoker cannot possibly exhibit the same behavioral patterns as a smoker, due to the lack of high concentrations of nicotine in their body. However, Dr. Loughlin disagrees and claims that smoke alone has about the same influence as if the children were actually smoking themselves. The full conclusion of the study was published in the September issue of the journal “Addictive Behavior.”