All Smoking Risky for Fetus

A study has found evidence of genetic mutation in cord blood from newborns that suggests second-hand smoke is just as detrimental to a developing fetus as maternal smoking.

In the new study, researchers looked at mutation rates at the HPRT gene located on the x chromosome in cord blood samples from newborns. They looked for frequency of induced mutation as well as the resulting molecular spectrum of mutations. In particular, the new analysis redefines the nonsmokers used as controls to consider their exposure to tobacco smoke through other family members at home, at work, or in social situations.

"This analysis shows not only that smoking during pregnancy causes genetic damage that can be detected at birth but also that passive--or secondary--smoke exposure causes just as much damage as active smoking and it is the same kind of damage,” noted study author Stephen G. Grant, Ph.D., associate professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health (PA, USA).

The new study was published in the July 26, 2005, issue of the online journal BMC Pediatrics. Earlier studies that considered the effects of tobacco on fetuses largely discounted the effects of secondary smoke.

"These kinds of mutations are likely to have lifelong repercussions for the exposed fetus, affecting survival, birth weight, and susceptibility to disease, including cancer,” added Dr. Grant.




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U. of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health