Children Vulnerable to Second Hand Smoke

Tariq Drabu, a leading dentist and specialist oral surgeon in Manchester, has advised that millions of children are being protected against second hand smoke after the ruling came in that smoking is banned from cars carrying children up to the age of eighteen.

This specialist dentist has advised that second hand smoke is a leading cause of mouth cancer, also referred to as oral cancer which affects thousands of people in the United Kingdom alone. Oral cancer rates are increasing globally each year with over seven thousand six hundred new cases being diagnosed in the United Kingdom each and every year.

Children exposed

Up until the legislation came into effect stopping people over the age of eighteen smoking in the car with minors, there were approximately three million children under the age of eighteen being exposed to harmful second hand smoke in vehicles daily. This is three million children that are at a higher risk than children not in a vehicle with a smoker of getting oral cancer at a later stage.

Saves the NHS

Oral cancer is costing the NHS millions each and every year. With the number of oral cancer cases climbing, it is only going to cost more in the long run. By banning smoking in cars with children under eighteen, it is preparing for a future where oral cancer risk is reduced and thereby saving the NHS money moving forward.

Children are vulnerable

Tariq Drabu advised that children are more vulnerable to second hand smoke than adults, though don't be fooled, it is dangerous for both. Second hand smoke is brimming with dangerous chemicals which are inhaled and this can lead to numerous diseases and illnesses, including mouth cancer, which if not caught early can leave the patient with a very low life expectancy.

Chemical overload

Tariq Drabu did mention that what many parents and adults don't understand is that second hand smoke contains more than four thousand chemicals. These are chemicals that children breathe in when exposed to smoke from an adult smoking in the same room or car as them. By banning smoking in cars with children, the government has managed to reduce the risk of children being exposed to these harmful chemicals and reducing their risk of mouth cancer in the future.