Environmental tobacco smoke and sudden infant death syndrome: a review

Abstract

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), containing the developmental neurotoxicant, nicotine, is a prevalent component of indoor air pollution. Despite a strong association with active maternal smoking and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), information on the risk of SIDS due to prenatal and postnatal ETS exposure is relatively inconsistent. This literature review begins with a discussion and critique of existing epidemiologic data pertaining to ETS and SIDS. It then explores the biologic plausibility of this association, with comparison of the known association between active maternal smoking and SIDS, by examining metabolic and placental transfer issues associated with nicotine, and the biologic responses and mechanisms that may follow exposure to nicotine. Evidence indicates that prenatal and postnatal exposures to nicotine do occur from ETS exposure, but that the level of exposure is often substantially less than levels induced by active maternal smoking. Nicotine also has the capacity to concentrate in the fetus, regardless of exposure source. Experimental animal studies show that various doses of nicotine are capable of affecting a neonate's response to hypoxic conditions, a process thought to be related to SIDS outcomes. Mechanisms contributing to deficient hypoxia response include the ability of nicotine to act as a cholinergic stimulant through nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) binding. The need for future research to investigate nicotine exposure and effects from non-maternal tobacco smoke sources in mid to late gestation is emphasized, along with a need to discourage smoking around both pregnant women and infants. Birth Defects Res (Part B) 77: 69-85, 2006. r

Tobacco and pregnancy: Overview of exposures and effects

“…The role of tobacco smoke exposure in SIDS has been the subject of several recent reviews (Adgent, 2006;Mitchell and Milerad, 2006;Fleming and Blair, 2007). There have been over 60 studies of the relationship between maternal smoking and secondhand smoke exposure during pregnancy and the risk of SIDS.…”

Urinary levels of trace elements among primary school-aged children from Italy: The contribution of smoking habits of family members

“…Most of these substances are toxic or carcinogen, and many studies demonstrated their correlation with several chronic diseases and different kind of cancers (IARC, 2012;USDHHS, 2014). Thus, ETS exposure generates a great concern for public health, especially when it occurs during infancy and childhood for two reasons: (1) children are the most susceptible population to the harmful health effects associated to ETS exposure (Adgent, 2006;Asomaning et al, 2008;Cheraghi and Salvi, 2009;Muller, 2007), and (2) the early initiation of exposure may facilitate, later in life, the onset of ETS-related diseases characterized by a prolonged latency (Cheraghi and Salvi, 2009;Svanes et al, 2004). The most important contributions to ETS exposure for a child are given by the presence and the smoking habits of cohabiting smokers in her/his domestic environment (McNabola and Gill, 2009).…”

Effects of postnatal environmental tobacco smoke on non-nutritive swallowing-breathing coordination in newborn lambs

“…Following the worldwide campaign to promote supine sleep in infants, perinatal environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) appears as the main preventable risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) (Adgent, 2006;Liebrechts-Akkerman et al, 2011).…”