Infants and young children whose parents smoke are at increased risk of lower respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis. ETS is responsible for an estimated 150,000 to 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections annually in children under 18 months of age, resulting in 7,500 to 15,000 hospitalizations each year. ETS also worsens asthma in between 200,000 to one million children each year. ETS has also been found to increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome and induce asthma in children. Forty percent of children under the age of eleven live in homes with at least one smoker.
Parents can protect children by prohibiting smoking in their homes and cars or near their children.
A variety of reforms are needed to reduce smoking and prevent adolescents from starting to smoke. Drinking Water Contamination Children are at particular risk from drinking water contaminants, not only because they consume two and a half times more water as a percentage of their body weight than adults but also because federal standards for pollutants are set based on anticipated effects on adults. Americans consume tap water containing microorganisms, trihalomethanes, arsenic, radon, lead, and pesticides. Bottled water is not necessarily of any better quality. To protect children, parents can determine what contaminants are present in their drinking water.