99.4% children in Karachi are exposed to passive smoking: study

A new research report has revealed that almost 99.4 percent children, including infants, in Karachi are exposed to passive smoking.

The study was conducted by researchers at the Department of Community Health Sciences and Medicine at the Aga Khan University (AKU), University of York, UK, and ARK Foundation, Bangladesh.

According to the details, the researchers team collected saliva samples from 2,769 children across 74 primary schools in Dhaka and Karachi.

The study found that the effects of environmental cigarette smoke were evident in children aged 9-14 years.

Second-hand smoke (SHS) poses significant health risks, increasing the likelihood of respiratory tract infections, lung disease, and even Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in infants and children.

The comprehensive lab-based research highlights the alarming prevalence of SHS in Pakistan.

“The high exposure of children to SHS is in contrast to figures from many developed countries where only a minority of children are now exposed to such risks,” Dr Romaina Iqbal and Prof Javaid Khan from Agha Khan University said.

“The research findings are really alarming. If we cannot protect the children from SHS exposure, they will develop an increased risk of respiratory infections and associated deaths and will be at risk of lower academic performance and a high rate of smoking uptake in later life,” said Bangladesh's Prof Rumana Huque, who is also a co-author of the paper, noted.

The passive smoking affects not only smokers but also those exposed to cigarette smoke in the air.