Smoking risk to hearing of unborn tots
CHILDREN exposed to smoking in the womb or for four months after birth have a 2.4-times increased risk of hearing impairment by the age of three.
Risk of hearing loss rose with the number of cigarettes smoked during pregnancy, research found.
Even being a past smoker raised the risk to babies in the womb.
Postnatally, smoking away from the child was not harmful but smoking near a child increased the risk of hearing loss 1.3-fold.
The Japanese study confirms the dangers of children breathing in second-hand smoke.
Prof Dr Koji Kawakami of Kyoto University explained: “Globally, about 68 million have a hearing impairment thought to originate in childhood.”