HHS HealthBeat (July 9, 2009)

Growing up after secondhand smoke

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

Growing up among smokers may have a lingering effect on your lungs. A study that looked at images of the lungs of people who were raised with smokers found some damage persisted for decades.

Gina Lovasi of Columbia University found they had more enlarged air spaces, where air has less contact with lung tissue.

Lovasi says that while these healthy nonsmokers exposed to tobacco smoke in childhood had more air-like lung spaces, they did not have worse lung function. But she says:

[Gina Lovasi speaks] "Damage from tobacco smoke may persist for decades. This contradicts the belief that the lungs recover quickly and completely once tobacco exposure stops."

The study presented at a meeting of the American Thoracic Society was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

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

Last revised: May 7, 2011