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Excerpts from: Passive smoking 'killing children'

By News Interactive Network/News Limited (au) [12/03/02]
 
PASSIVE smoking was killing hundreds of Australian babies and young children each year, health groups have said.
The groups estimated about 200 children died each year nationwide from causes related to passive smoking such as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), still births, miscarriages, low birthweights and respiratory illnesses.

Queensland alone was expected to suffer 80 deaths in the next two years, unless a public education campaign was launched.

Queensland Cancer Fund executive director Graeme Brien said infants and children under the age of four were most at risk. . .

But Mr Brien said more than 60 per cent of smokers still allowed smoking in the family home and car.

He said passing laws against smoking near children would not work and public education was the only long-term answer.

"For every one child who dies from passive smoking, hundreds more suffer ill health," Mr Brien said.

Australian Medical Association Queensland president Dr Russell Stitz said a study published yesterday in the Australia New Zealand Journal of Public Health showed awareness of the problem was worse in lower socio-economic groups.