The finding that secondhand smoke is capable of causing lung cancer in healthy adults has received the most public attention and is of great concern from a public health standpoint. However, the very serious respiratory effects on young children that are documented in our report are also of great personal concern to me. The report found that young children are particularly sensitive to the effects of secondhand smoke. Infants and young children who are exposed to secondhand smoke are at increased risk of lower respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis. EPA estimated that each year between 150,000 and 300,000 cases of lower respiratory tract infections are associated with exposure of children to secondhand smoke, resulting in between 7,500 and 15,000 hospitalizations.
Asthmatic children are especially at risk.
EPA estimated that exposure to secondhand smoke increases the number of episodes and the severity of symptoms for between 200,000 and one million asthmatic children. In addition, passive smoking may increase the risk of developing asthma for otherwise healthy children. Children who have been regularly exposed to secondhand smoke are also more likely to have reduced lung function and symptoms of respiratory irritation such as cough, excess phlegm, and wheezing. Passive smoking can lead to a buildup of fluid in the middle ear, the most common cause of hospitalization of children for an operation. As you are probably aware, immediately following publication of our report in 1993, the tobacco industry filed a lawsuit challenging both our authority to conduct the risk assessment as well as some of the scientific findings of the report.