A Chemical Soup spreads through North West communities and encourages parents to Take 7 Steps Out

A ‘Chemical Soup’ will be cooked up in children’s and community centres across the North West to highlight the 4000 chemicals in secondhand smoke and the negative effects on children if they are exposed. Smokefree North West has teamed up with children’s charity Barnardo’s to deliver a programme of events across the region. The Chemical Soup kit, complete with cooking pot and fake hazardous liquids, will show parents in a fun and visual way some of the harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke – such as arsenic, formaldehyde and cadmium.

Of more than 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke, 60 are known to cause cancer as well as avoidable childhood illnesses.  Andrea Crossfield, Director of Smokefree North West said: “Bringing the Chemical Soup activity to children’s centres is a new way of showing parents some of the toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke. Many are shocked that there are over 4000 chemicals and that 60 of them are known to cause cancer and the tobacco industry do not want their customers to know that tobacco contains chemicals like arsenic and polonium.

Smokefree North West and Barnardo’s have joined forces to get the information across to parents so that they can make an informed choice about whether to expose their children to these chemicals and that the way to protect them is to take their smoking right outside.” Deirdre Lewis, Children’s Services Manager for Barnardo’s in the North West said: “Using the Chemical Soup kit helps us equip parents with knowledge in our communities so they can make a positive step to protecting their children’s health. Everybody has had lots of fun today but they’ve also taken away some serious messages.

We want them now to pass on these messages and get the community talking so that we can prevent many children from suffering unnecessarily.” This community activity is the next stage of the successful Take 7 Steps Out campaign – which encourages smokers to smoke right outside, especially when children are in the house.  It coincides with a North West TV advert campaign, following a successful first run last summer after which nearly one in five (19%) of the target audience said that they now go right outside to smoke to protect their children from secondhand smoke.

Dr Sian Snelling, Deputy Medical Director and Consultant Community Pediatrician, Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust said: “In Alder Hey we see hundreds of children and young people every year who are suffering the effects of having to breathe in other people’s secondhand smoke – conditions like Glue Ear, asthma, chest infections and meningitis can be reduced if children are protected from this exposure.

Their quicker breathing means children take in more of the chemicals in cigarette smoke so they can easily suffer even if only exposed occasionally. Simple measures, like moving right outside to smoke, away from young children, can make a huge difference to their health” For more information about the campaign please visit: www.take7stepsout.co.uk