CHAPTER 4 Smoking and the lung

Extensive research has been conducted to investigate the effects of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) on respiratory diseases throughout childhood. Involuntary tobacco smoke exposure can begin in the earliest period of life, by the developing foetus, through an active smoking mother or by ETS exposure of nonsmoking females during pregnancy, which may continue through childhood. Active smoking by children and adolescents adds to the risk later in life. Many researchers have aimed to separate the effects of in utero and postnatal exposure, as well as exposure during infancy and later childhood, as potentially different time windows of susceptibility. However, patterns of smoking are tightly connected and exposures overlap critical time periods. Therefore, the health effects assessed in different developmental stages may be related to current and past exposures in most studies. There is no doubt that exposure to passive and active smoking is detrimental to the respiratory system, particularly during lung growth and development. In this chapter, patterns and predictors of tobacco exposure, predominant respiratory health effects in different life stages, as well as important public health issues will be considered