Is Exposure to Secondhand Smoke Child Abuse? Yes
Date
2015
Authors
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Publisher
The Annals of Family Medicine
Abstract
Scientific research over the last decade has increasingly demonstrated that exposure to secondhand smoke is not simply a nuisance; it is deadly. Secondhand smoke exposure causes multiple diseases in children, including asthma and pneumonia, and results in thousands of avoidable hospitalizations. Secondhand smoke exposure is a major cause of sudden infant death syndrome and may cause lung cancer and heart attacks with repeated exposure.2 No safe level of exposure exists. Purposefully and recurrently exposing children to secondhand smoke—a known human carcinogen—despite repeated warnings, is child abuse. Federal law defines child abuse as “any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation; or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.” In the case presented below, our patient’s parents failed to act in a way to remove their child from recurring, life-threatening harm by secondhand smoke, thereby constituting child abuse. (Author Text)
Description
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Keywords
child abuse, smoking, physical abuse, policy
Citation
Goldstein, A. O. (2015). Is exposure to secondhand smoke child abuse? Yes. The Annals of Family Medicine, 13(2), 103-104.