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| Smokers 'make their children ill' | Smokers 'make their children ill' |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| A leading hospital says up to a third of the children it treats for certain conditions are ill because their parents smoke in front of them. | A leading hospital says up to a third of the children it treats for certain conditions are ill because their parents smoke in front of them. |
| Dr Steve Ryan, Medical Director of Liverpool's Alder Hey Hospital, says bronchitis, asthma and ear infections could be cut if parents quit smoking. | Dr Steve Ryan, Medical Director of Liverpool's Alder Hey Hospital, says bronchitis, asthma and ear infections could be cut if parents quit smoking. |
| He said parents often lied about whether they smoke near their children. | He said parents often lied about whether they smoke near their children. |
| The British Lung Foundation says 17,000 children are treated every year for exposure to second-hand smoke. | |
| Speaking to BBC Radio Five Live, he said out of the 35,000 children the hospital treats every year, 2,000 are there because they have been exposed to their parents' smoke. | |
| He said between a quarter and a third of those suffering from certain conditions such as chest infections and asthma were the victims of passive smoking. | |
| 'High intensity' | |
| Parents often know the health implications of smoking around their children, he added. | |
| "People feel guilty," he told BBC News. "If it was easy, they would give up. Looking after children is good fun but it can be stressful and for some, cigarettes are a way of relieving that stress." | |
| A good tip for parents is always put on another layer of clothes when smoking outside Dr Steve RyanMedical Director, Alder Hey Hospital | |
| He does not think legislation is the answer but believes parents should be aware of the various levels of risk. | |
| The top level, he said, was parents smoking in cars, where children were "trapped" and exposed to a "high intensity" of fumes. | |
| Mothers smoking is a greater risk than fathers smoking, and smoking in the same room as your child is also high risk, he added. | |
| "Having smoke on your clothes is a lower risk," he said. | |
| "But a good tip for parents is always put on another layer of clothes when smoking outside. Our staff are made to put a coat on when they go out to smoke during their breaks." | |
| Research published in 2005 suggested children exposed to their parents' smoking were three times more likely to develop lung cancer later in life. |