ently damage arteries. Studies continue to confirm the dangers of second-hand smoke; one study reported that exposure to second hand smoke is just as dangerous in the workplace as it is at home. Regular exposure to passive smoke is now estimated to increase the risk of heart disease in the nonsmoker by between 25% and 91%, causing 30,000 to 60,000 deaths each year. According to one report nonsmokers who spend as little as a half-hour in a smoke- filled room suffer a serious drop in blood levels of antioxidants, such as vitamin C, which may be important for heart protection.(Whelan 26-32)Studies have now linked cigarette smoking to infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and Miscarriage. (Whelan 81) Women at greatest risk are those who smoke one or more packs a day and who started smoking before age 18. Smoking increases the risk for stillbirth and infant mortality by 33%. Smoking also appears to reduce folate levels; a vitamin that is important for preventing birth defects. (Stillman 545) Experts believe that women who smoke may pass genetic mutations that increase cancer risks to their unborn babies. In addition, the fetus of a smoking mother is at risk for low birth weight and -- especially in women who also drink a lot of coffee -- premature delivery. The good news is that women who quit before becoming pregnant or even during the first trimester reduce the risk for a low birth weight baby to that of women who never smoked. Fortunately, national birth statistics showed a continued decline in the number of women who smoke during pregnancy. (Cambell 70-75)An estimated four million children a year fall ill from exposure to second-hand smoke. Smoking in pregnant women and new mothers is strongly linked to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Parental smoking has been shown to affect the lungs of infants as early as the first two to 10 weeks of life and increases the risk for lung diseases, such as asthma, bronchitis, and pneumonia, by 50%. Mater...
