HHS HealthBeat (April 10, 2007)

Tobacco, race and kids

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Some kids may be more sensitive than others to secondhand smoke. University of Cincinnati researchers checked that in the blood and hair of black and white five- to-12-year-olds with asthma.

Stephen Wilson examined levels of cotinine – a byproduct when the body breaks down nicotine. It's a way to determine the amount of toxins from tobacco that are in the body. The study in the journal Chest was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Wilson says black kids showed more cotinine after adjusting for differences in tobacco smoke in their homes' air:

"African American children had cotinine levels in their blood that were 32 percent higher than white children, and hair cotinine levels were 400 percent higher in African American children." (10 seconds)

Other studies have found kids with more exposure to smoke had more symptoms of asthma.

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: April, 18 2007