Secondhand Smoke Exposure During Pregnancy

If a pregnant woman inhales secondhand smoke it can have harmful effects on the unborn fetus. Researcher discovered this by experiment on laboratory rats. They mimicked the secondhand smoke exposure that human’s experience on lab rats , and discovered that it affected the brain development of the rat’s babies. 

A. Slotkin, Ph. D, professor in Duke’ Department of Pharmacology & Cancer Biology, stated, “This finding has important implications for public health, because it reinforces the need to avoid secondhand smoke exposure not only during pregnancy, but also the period prior to conception, or generally for women of childbearing age.”