Abstract |
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) has been associated with higher rates of maternal smoking and higher body lead content of SIDS victims compared to control infants, matched for age and sex, who died of other causes. Hoppenbrouwers et al. demonstrated a temporal relationship between the seasonal pattern of SIDS (maximal in cold seasons, minimal in warm seasons) and the seasonal (winter) increase in ambient carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), and lead (Pb) in Los Angeles County, California. Because infants in the first year of life spend most of their time indoors, and maternal smoking would add to the ambient levels in the home, it is the indoor levels of CO and Pb in the nursery that are of most immediate concern. |