Previously many studies have found that secondary smoke cause damages to children and this study found that chemical traces of cigarette smoke may show up in babies of parents who smoke. The study shows that cotinine, a chemical released when the body breaks down nicotine is more abundant in urine samples from smokers’ babies than from nonsmokers’ babies.

So far not much study has been done to see how much cotinine levels would affect babies, but researchers say any exposure to tobacco is not healthy according to one of the researchers, Mike Wailoo, M.D., FRCP, a senior lecturer in the child health department of England's University of Leicester.

Dr. Wailoo and his colleagues analyzed urine samples from 104 babies who were about 10 to 12 weeks old. Most of the babies, 68% of them had at least one parent who smoked cigarettes. Overall 62% of the babies had both mothers and fathers who smoked. 18% of them only the mothers smoked the remaining 20% only the father smoked. These parents smoked 16 cigarettes per day on an average.

The results from this study showed that babies of parents who smoked had cotinine levels five times higher than babies of nonsmoking parents. Maternal smoking had the highest effect, quadrupling the babies’ cotinine levels. Paternal smoking nearly doubled the babies’ cotinine levels.

"Our findings clearly show that by accumulating cotinine, babies become heavy passive smokers secondary to the active smoking of parents," write the researchers.

Wailoo’s team recommends that parents should avoid smoking in front of the children as much as possible. Mothers just like they protect their babies from danger, they should see this harmful effect also and protect their children and their future.

It was also found previously how smoking damages the sperm and genetics of children.

The parents should do the right thing and not smoke in front of the children or stop smoking at all. Why do the parents want to raise them only to cause them more damage in the future by smoking?