Rookverbod verhoogt blootstelling aan rook bij kinderen
Rookverboden zorgen er voor dat kinderen thuis meer aan rook worden blootgesteld. Dat is de conclusie uit een nieuw Engels onderzoek door Francesca Conaglia en Jerome Adda van de University College London.
Rokers die uit de horeca verdreven worden zullen daardoor vaker thuisblijven, juist waar de kinderen en andere niet-rokers zijn.
They examined the relative effects of smoking bans in various states of the US and found the group most affected by changes in regulations were children.
And they concluded that it led to an increase in the levels of cotinine – a substance that indicates how much exposure to tobacco smoke someone has had – in children whose parents smoke.
The study also found that children in smoking households had higher levels of cotinine during winter periods.
Said the authors: “We find no seasonal effects for children living in non-smoking households.
“It is consistent with a displacement effect, where adult smokers chose to smoke at home instead of in bars or restaurants.”
They added: “Our results question the usefulness of bans in reducing smoking exposure for non-smokers.“
