"Cigarette smoke exposure is harmful to children's long-term heart health and may shorten life expectancy," said Geetha Raghuveer, Professor at Children's Mercy Hospital and Clinics in the US.
"Parents should consider making their children's environment smoke free," said Raghuveer.
"Children exposed to cigarette smoke may develop early heart disease as adults due to poorly functioning, stiffer blood vessels," she said.
"Some babies who were exposed to cigarette smoke while still in the womb may be at risk for sudden death during infancy," she added.
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Children are more likely to become smokers themselves if their parents smoke.
Secondhand smoke contains a host of chemicals that can impact health by causing changes to blood flow, blood vessels, blood pressure and heart rhythm.
Compared with adults, children are especially vulnerable to secondhand smoke exposure in part because they cannot control tobacco use in their surroundings, and they appear to be particularly susceptible physically to the smoke's effects.
Overall, an estimated 24 million non-smoking children and youths are exposed to secondhand smoke in the US, largely because of parents who smoke, researchers said.
"Raising cigarette taxes to discourage smoking could also decrease childhood exposure," she added.
The study appears in the journal Circulation.
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