Lead exposure is primary concern in the development of children, lead especially effecting brain and cognitive development. While many questions aims at asking about old pipes and paint in the house as a source of lead, a new study also links secondhand smoking to elevated lead levels in children.

Researchers analyzed 2,815 children from two rounds of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), one from 2015-2016 and another form 2017-2018 where they linked cotinine, a metabolite of nicotine, to lead levels. Cotinine indicated exposure to tobacco smoking. They found that lead levels were 18% higher in their intermediate cotinine group and 29% higher in their heavy cotinine group.

Smoking doesn’t just effect you. It also directly effects everyone around including people and pets you love. So don’t be selfish, be kind to yourself and others by quitting the habit.

The authors from Texas A&M University School of Public Health published their findings in the journal BMC Public Health.

A Obeng et al. The contribution of secondhand tobacco smoke to blood lead levels in US children and adolescents: a cross-sectional analysis of NHANES 2015–2018. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16005-y