Tobacco smoke harms teenage kidneys

The kidneys of children may be harmed by exposure to secondhand smoke in childhood – reducing their capacity to filter out poisons, says a new study. Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Australia has called for greater protection of children – including parents making smokefree homes the norm; all outdoor eating and drinking areas being smokefree; and federal regulation of tobacco products to make them less palatable and addictive.

The kidneys of children may be harmed by exposure to secondhand smoke in childhood – reducing their capacity to filter out poisons, says a new study.

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Australia has called for greater protection of children – including parents making smokefree homes the norm; all outdoor eating and drinking areas being smokefree; and federal regulation of tobacco products to make them less palatable and addictive.

The US study* of over 7,500 children aged 12-17 showed both active smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke reduced their kidneys’ ability to filter and eliminate toxins in the body. The authors concluded their findings supported “the possibility that tobacco smoke effects on kidney function begin in childhood.”

Says Anne Jones, ASH Chief Executive: “One in three Australians is at increased risk of developing chronic kidney disease – and smoking has been long known to be a risk factor.

“More than 100,000 school-aged Australian kids are already smoking regularly – and this new study shows that even before becoming a smoker, children may be suffering kidney harm by inhaling the smoke of others.

“We also know from surveys that many thousands of children are routinely exposed to secondhand smoke in their own homes – not just from smokers at home but also from smoke drift that is a common complaint from non-smokers living in multi-unit blocks.

“Although there is a growing trend for crowded outdoor areas to be smokefree, we still have smoking permitted in outdoor and partly enclosed dining areas in South Australia, Victoria, NSW and in half of the outdoor dining areas in WA.  

“Tobacco products are highly engineered nicotine delivery devices that have been made more palatable to attract new smokers who are mostly children. We can do a lot more to reduce the number of children harmed by tobacco products if we require the manufacturers to make the contents less palatable and addictive.

“We welcome yesterday’s announcement of the new anti-smoking campaign by the federal government, ‘Stop before the suffering starts’. But we still need more coordinated efforts by governments and parents to protect children from highly engineered addictive tobacco products that kill 15,000 Australians every year.”

(source: ASH Australia)