Repeated exposure of children to secondhand smoke is child abuse , a leading doctor has warned . Adam Goldstein , a professor in family medicine , says exposure is as abusive as leaving children unattended in hot car , or drink driving . He claims he was forced to speak out after caring for 'too many children hospitalised with asthma and pneumonia , caused in large part to their repeated exposure to secondhand smoke ' . Adam Goldstein , a professor in family medicine , says exposing children to secondhand smoke is 'as abusive as leaving them unattended in hot car , or drink driving ' His controversial opinion piece has been published in the latest issue of the Annals of Family Medicine . In it , he argues that purposefully and repeatedly exposing children to a something known to cause cancer in humans would strike many people as child abuse . 'But what if the substance is secondhand smoke ? , ' he asks . Dr Goldstein , who is director of the tobacco intervention programs in the University of North Carolina School of Medicine , says the damage from smoke is 'as abusive as many other commonly accepted physical and emotional traumas of children ' . His comments come after years of caring for children who have suffered severe respiratory illness due to secondhand smoke exposure . In the opinion piece , he writes : 'Scientific research over the last decade has increasingly demonstrated that exposure to secondhand smoke is not simply a nuisance ; it is deadly . 'Secondhand smoke exposure causes multiple diseases in children , including asthma and pneumonia , and results in thousands of avoidable hospitalisations . 'It is a major cause of sudden infant death syndrome and may cause lung cancer and heart attacks with repeated exposure . He argues that purposefully and repeatedly exposing children to a something known to cause cancer in humans would strike many people as child abuse . 'No safe level of exposure exists . ' [ Therefore ] , purposefully and recurrently exposing children to secondhand smoke - a known human carcinogen - despite repeated warnings , is child abuse . ' In the paper , he goes on to explain how he and his colleagues treated two children of smokers 'at least 10 times over three years ' . Despite repeated attempts to get the parents to quit , they continued to smoke - and the children , aged 5 and 7 , repeatedly visited the clinic with ear infections , coughing , bronchitis , and asthma . In the end , the younger child developed pneumonia , he says . After treating her with antibiotics and inhalers , ' Dr Goldstein and his colleagues implored the parents to stop smoking - or at least avoid smoking anywhere near the children - and offered them counselling . 'The parents , however , refused to engage with us about quitting smoking , pharmacotherapy for cessation , or about not letting their children be exposed to cigarette smoke , ' he says . Shortly after , the child appeared in the emergency room with a recurrence of pneumonia and severe asthma . 'By the time we heard about it , she was already on a ventilator in the pediatric intensive care unit , where she stayed for several days before ultimately improving . 'Out of the 10 adults gathered in the waiting room - parents , extended family members , and several friends - six were heavy smokers , ' he writes . 'In retrospect , it is easier to see where and why we failed : our patient was suffering from child abuse , and we had failed to intervene beyond offering medication , counseling , and referral . ' As a result , Dr Goldstein says it is time for society - including doctors - to do much more . Dr Goldstein claims he was forced to speak out after caring for 'too many children hospitalized with asthma and pneumonia , caused in large part to their repeated exposure to secondhand smoke ' . 'We must intervene to stop this abuse , ' he writes . Options he suggests include counselling of parents that smoke , legislation , and even taking children away from their parents . The key message , he says , is that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke . He points out that some U.S. states , including Texas , Vermont and Washington - already prohibit foster parents from smoking around children in cars and homes . 'If this is true for foster families and smoking , should n't it be the case for all parents ? , ' he asks . Additional legal protection for young children exposed to secondhand smoke makes common 'sense ' . He adds that children already suffering from chronic lung illnesses should be protected from ongoing exposure . 'Secondhand smoke exposure decreases lung function and has dozens of carcinogens ; yet often the most vulnerable children continue to be exposed , and these children often have no voice . '
Adam Goldstein is professor in family medicine in North Carolina . Says exposure is as abusive as leaving children in hot cars or drink driving . Forced to speak out after treatinf child nearly died from parents ' smoke .