TY - JOUR
T1 - Nicotine as an Environmental Toxin
T2 - Implications for Children's Health
AU - Gatzke-Kopp, Lisa M.
AU - Rice, Danielle R.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2023.
PY - 2023/10
Y1 - 2023/10
N2 - Despite significant declines in population smoking rates and effective policies to ban smoking in public places, environmental exposure to nicotine remains prevalent among children. Environmental smoke exposure affects children's respiratory, immune, and metabolic health but is also implicated in children's cognitive and behavioral development. Nicotine's chemical properties mimic naturally occurring chemicals in the brain. When nicotine is present during brain development (prenatally through the first five years of life), it alters developmental processes that affect systems involved in cognitive control, impulsivity, and sensitivity to rewarding substances, increasing risks for obesity. Because nicotine is the specific toxin underlying these outcomes, vaping is unlikely to be a safer alternative. Given the rise in vaping among young adults generally, and pregnant women specifically, this exposure represents a public health concern that warrants additional attention. Policies including modernized public health messaging and routine screening could reduce children's inadvertent exposure.
AB - Despite significant declines in population smoking rates and effective policies to ban smoking in public places, environmental exposure to nicotine remains prevalent among children. Environmental smoke exposure affects children's respiratory, immune, and metabolic health but is also implicated in children's cognitive and behavioral development. Nicotine's chemical properties mimic naturally occurring chemicals in the brain. When nicotine is present during brain development (prenatally through the first five years of life), it alters developmental processes that affect systems involved in cognitive control, impulsivity, and sensitivity to rewarding substances, increasing risks for obesity. Because nicotine is the specific toxin underlying these outcomes, vaping is unlikely to be a safer alternative. Given the rise in vaping among young adults generally, and pregnant women specifically, this exposure represents a public health concern that warrants additional attention. Policies including modernized public health messaging and routine screening could reduce children's inadvertent exposure.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85175308890&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85175308890&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/23727322231190588
DO - 10.1177/23727322231190588
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85175308890
SN - 2372-7322
VL - 10
SP - 125
EP - 132
JO - Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences
JF - Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences
IS - 2
ER -