Smoking, secondhand smoke, babies and pregnancy
Background: “Surgeon General’s Warning: Smoking by Pregnant Women May Result in Fetal Injury, Premature Birth, and Low Birth Weight“
2016 European Union cigarette pack warning on smoking and babies
A woman who smokes during pregnancy compromises her unborn baby’s life and health. Maternal smoking can cause fetal or neonatal death in an otherwise normal infant. And if smoking does not kill, it often retards the infant’s growth in utero. Dozens of studies conducted over nearly 30 years have consistently shown that a smoking mother’s pregnancy is susceptible to various dangerous complications, including:
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- Increase the risk of spontaneous abortion early in pregnancy,
- stillbirth in later pregnancy, or death in the neonatal period.
- Women who smoke are also more likely to experience premature delivery.
- The smoker’s infant is more likely than the nonsmoker to be undersized at birth and may continue to lag in physical, intellectual, and behavioral development.
The risk of these adverse effects increases directly with the number of cigarettes the mother smokes. If a woman stops smoking early in pregnancy, her risk of having a low birth weight child is the same as a nonsmoker’s. There is no evidence that the adverse effects of smoking on pregnancy are diminished by cigarettes that are lower in “tar” and nicotine.
Women who smoke have more difficulty becoming pregnant and have a higher risk of never becoming pregnant.
Smoking during pregnancy can cause tissue damage in the unborn baby, particularly in the lung and brain, and some studies suggest a link between maternal smoking and cleft lip.[1]U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A Report of the Surgeon General: How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: What It Means to You. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers … Continue reading, [2]U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A Report of the Surgeon General: Highlights: Overview of Finding Regarding Reproductive Health. [PDFโ542 KB]. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and … Continue reading
Studies also suggest a relationship between tobacco and miscarriage. Carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke can keep the developing baby from getting enough oxygen. Tobacco smoke also contains other chemicals that can harm unborn babies.
Health Effects of Smoking and Secondhand Smoke on Babies
Mothers who smoke are more likely to deliver their babies early. Preterm delivery is a leading cause of death, disability, and disease among newborns.
One in every five babies born to mothers who smoke during pregnancy has a low birth weight. Mothers exposed to secondhand smoke while pregnant are likelier to have lower birth weight babies. Babies born too small or too early are not as healthy.
Babies whose mothers smoke while pregnant or who are exposed to secondhand smoke after birth have weaker lungs than other babies, which increases the risk for many health problems.
Babies and infants in tobacco advertising
Since the early years of tobacco product marketing, manufacturers have incorporated images of infants in their advertisements. These images had multiple values to tobacco advertisers. For one, depictions of babies in cigarette ads reinforced the respectability of smoking as a part of everyday family life, a perception often promulgated by the tobacco industry. The images of youngsters tended to send a reassuring message to consumers about the product’s healthfulness. In addition, babies represent purity, vibrancy, and life โ concepts that can be dangerous when tied to tobacco products. Finally, these depictions of infants were an obvious ploy to attract females to smoke as part of the industry’s campaign to expand the pool of women smokers.
1971 Joseph Cullman, CEO of Philip Morris, interview on Face The Nation regarding smoking and health and low birth weight babies.
1983 Philip Morris CEO, Geoffrey Bible, on smoking and pregnant mothers
Excerpt from a 1979 Tobacco Institute brochure on Woman and Smoking that cites tobacco industry research
References
| ↑1 | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A Report of the Surgeon General: How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: What It Means to You. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2010 [accessed 2012 May 10]. |
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| ↑2 | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A Report of the Surgeon General: Highlights: Overview of Finding Regarding Reproductive Health. [PDFโ542 KB]. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2010 [accessed 2012 May 10]. |