Jump to full article: Reuters, 2009-02-02
Intro: Children in Cyprus have alarming levels of nicotine in their blood, researchers said on Monday, highlighting passive smoking as a threat to development.
The Health Ministry found traces of metabolised nicotine, known as cotinine, in the saliva of 94 percent of children from non-smoking households and 97 percent of all surveyed children.
Eighteen percent of children aged between 4 and 8 showed high levels of the substance, the researchers said, citing a study of 71 households.
"The fact that children who lived in a non-smoking environment had cotinine suggests it is in their broader environment, like relatives' homes or other areas," said Stella Michaelidou, director of the State Laboratory.
"It is a pilot survey but the results are too significant to ignore," she said.
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