Smoking has many negative health effects and can harm nearly every organ in the body. According to the WHO (World Health Organization), six million people in the world die because of smoking each year—five million from direct tobacco use, and the remaining one million due to excessive exposure to secondhand smoke—and these numbers probably don’t even include unborn children.
The dangerous chemicals in tobacco smoke can harm unborn children in numerous ways. If a mother-to-be smokes while she is pregnant or is excessively exposed to secondhand smoke, her child can be born with birth defects, prematurely, and/or have a low birth weight (less than 2.5 kilograms, or about 5.5 pounds). Also, the child has an increased chance of getting diabetes, heart disease, and asthma. However, there is good news: after a smoking ban was set in England in 2007, research has found that there was a reduction in the number of stillbirths and newborn deaths.
Image Source: VOISIN/PHANIE
The study was conducted by various universities and hospitals, such as the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the United States. Researchers collected data on over 11 million births in England from 1995 to 2011. They concluded that the number of stillbirths and the number of newborn deaths both dropped by eight percent, and nearly 1500 stillbirths and newborn deaths were prevented during the first four years the ban was implemented. There was also an estimated reduction of over 5000 babies born with a low birth weight, according to statistics.
Smoking affects the health of millions of people around the world. It harms both the people who smoke and the countless others who are exposed to secondhand smoke. It seems that no one can escape from the harmful effects of smoking, not even the children in their mothers’ wombs. England’s smoking ban is an example of something that other countries could use to protect their citizens’ health. If every country implemented a smoking ban like England did, countless lives could be saved.
Feature Image Source: Smoking by Philippa Willitts
