Second-hand smoke increases risk of sudden infant death syndrome: HPA

Taipei, Dec. 13 (CNA) In the wake of an increase in the rate of exposure to second-hand smoke in family homes in Taiwan in 2022, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) warned that second-hand smoke places infants at a higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) at a press conference Wednesday.

The HPA revealed that after the tax on cigarettes was raised by NT$20 (US$0.63) per pack in 2017, the rate of exposure to second-hand smoke in family homes fell from 24.3 percent to 21.1 percent in 2018, but increased to 27.1 percent in 2020, and 28.9 percent in 2022.

At the press conference, pediatrician Chen Mu-rong (陳木榮) said second and third-hand smoke not only poses a threat to adults, but is also harmful to children and pregnant women.

If infants under one year old are exposed to second or third-hand smoke, the risks of SIDS increases, and it can also lead to otitis media in children, Chen said.

SIDS is the sudden and unexplained death of a baby younger than one year old. A diagnosis of SIDS is made if the baby's death remains unexplained even after a death scene investigation, an autopsy, and a review of the clinical history.

Chen added that second or third-hand smoke can cause cognitive deficits in children, and increase the risk of child asthma.

Meanwhile, if pregnant women smoke or are exposed to second-hand smoke, the risk of miscarriage, low birth weight and premature birth are also raised, Chen said.

According to Chen, second-hand smoke is smoke from burning tobacco products, like cigarettes, cigars, hookahs, or pipes, and is the most-widespread and harmful indoor air pollutant.

Chen went on to explain that third-hand smoke is made up of the pollutants that settle indoors when tobacco is smoked, and can embed in hair, skin, clothes and furniture.

Third-hand smoke residue is difficult to clean and can remain in place for at least half a year, Chen added.

Even if an individual does not smoke in front of a child, the smoke in clothes, cars and houses can still pose a threat to the health of family members, Chen said.

Also at the event, HPA Director-General Wu Chao-chun (吳昭軍) urged members of the public not to smoke, because without first-hand smoke, there is no second or third-hand smoke, while reminding people that there are around 3,500 hospitals and clinics across the country that can help people quit smoking.

The latest HPA data shows that 14 out of every 100 Taiwanese adults, aged 18 years and older, smoked cigarettes in 2022, a slight increase from the 13.1 percent recorded in 2021.

Warning: Smoking can cause heart disease and storkes by clogging arteries.