Researchers at the University of Washington have released the findings of a frightening new study that concluded that children whose mothers were exposed to second-hand smoke while pregnant have more symptoms of serious psychological problems than children of women who had no prenatal exposure at all. Children exposed to secondhand smoke in the womb were found to be more prone to ADHD, and symptoms including aggressiveness, defiance and "conduct disorder", which includes truancy, fighting, failing in school, general breaking of rules, substance abuse, stealing, and the destruction of property.
Nicotine is the assumed culprit here, since animal studies have shown that it affects brain development during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, causing changes in brain regions critical to the development of “externalizing psychopathology.”
Just one more reason - out of 9,999,999,99,999,999 - to quit smoking.
