§ Lord Braine of Wheatleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What information they have about the effects of (a) smoking and (b) passive smoking on persons suffering asthma.
§ The Minister of State, Department of Health (Baroness Jay of Paddington)Smoking is strongly associated with respiratory diseases such as bronchitis and obstructive airways disease. Symptoms of smoking related respiratory tract injury are cough, sputum production, wheezing and shortness of breath. For asthma sufferers these symptoms will be exacerbated.
29WAA number of studies have linked children's exposure to passive smoking with wheezing and asthma.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency concluded that environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure increases the number of episodes of asthma in children who already have the disease. It also concludes that ETS is a risk factor for induction of asthma in previously asymptomatic children.
The Royal College of Physicians estimated that symptoms of asthma are twice as common in the children of smokers.