What impact does passive smoking have during childhood?
Last month, national media reported on a study led by BiSC researchers Marta Cosín and Mariona Bustamante, in collaboration with the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). The study, published in Environment International, stresses the need to reduce children’s exposure to passive smoking, since exposure to tobacco smoke during childhood can cause changes in DNA methylation, a process that affects gene regulation and could increase the risk of developing diseases in adulthood.
The study included data from 2,695 children between 7 and 10 years old from eight European countries. The scientists analyzed the level of methylation at specific sites in DNA in blood samples from the participants and associated it with the number of smokers in the home (one, two or more). The findings revealed alterations in eleven regions of DNA, six of which are associated with diseases such as asthma and cancer.
According to Marta Cosín: “passive smoking leaves traces at a molecular level, potentially modifying the expression of genes that influence susceptibility to various pathologies.” Mariona Bustamante highlighted that these changes are similar to those observed in babies exposed to tobacco in utero or in active smokers. In addition, the study suggests that passive smoking in childhood causes epigenetic changes comparable to those of intrauterine exposure or direct consumption by smokers.
The scientists found changes in methylation in 11 regions of DNA, related in previous studies to direct exposure to tobacco by smokers or during pregnancy. Six of these regions, called CpG, are linked to diseases such as cancer or asthma, pathologies for which tobacco represents a risk factor. The trace left by tobacco smoke on DNA methylation can modify the expression of genes that influence the possibility of developing diseases in adulthood, such as respiratory and cardiovascular pathologies, alterations in neurological development and dysfunctions in the immune system.
The study highlights that childhood exposure to tobacco smoke not only represents a public health problem, but also a question of social inequality. Socioeconomic and environmental factors, together with the persistent influence of powerful commercial interests, make it difficult to reduce exposure to tobacco smoke in certain homes. The researchers emphasize the urgency of implementing comprehensive measures to reduce childhood exposure to tobacco smoke, both at home and in other closed spaces, in order to prevent future diseases and protect children’s health.
Here you have the link to the original news;
and to the differents media where it has been published:
This article was written by Alvaro Falcón, a laboratory technician at the BiSC Project.