Exposure to Second-Hand Smoke May Get Kids Hooked

(Our happy hour fact to amaze your drinking buddies with.)

Exposure to second-hand smoke may lead to nicotine dependency in children who have never had a cigarette.

A Canadian study has found that 5 percent of non-smoking kids that have been exposed to cigarette smoke in their homes or in cars show symptoms of nicotine addiction, including cravings and feeling temptation to smoke when others are smoking.

"We expected to see something like zero percent, so we were surprised to see as many as five percent," said the lead author of the study. It is the first to examine nicotine dependence in children who have never smoked.

We don't know why the study didn't also include kids who have their homerooms next to the teacher's lounge. We still can't believe we got out of third grade without a two-pack-a-day habit.

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