Chronic tobacco smoke exposure was found to be common among children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and hair nicotine levels were more reliable for detecting smoke exposure than caregiver self-reports.

“Hair nicotine levels also detected children exposed to tobacco smoke exposure that would have been missed by caregiver questionnaires,” the researchers wrote. “Hair nicotine levels may be useful in the clinical setting to predict which children may be at increased risk for respiratory morbidities during the first 3 years of life, and to identify children for appropriate tobacco smoke exposure interventions.”

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