An international study on secondhand-smoke exposure found that 82 percent of parents who smoke admitted smoking around their children, Science Daily reported March 6.

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health also found that airborne nicotine levels were 17 times higher in the homes of smokers than nonsmokers. Hair samples taken from children found that 78 percent of those living with smokers contained detectable nicotine levels, compared to 59 percent among those who did not live with smokers.

"Our research clearly shows that parents are failing to protect their children from secondhand smoke exposure, perhaps because they are unaware of the risks," said lead author Heather Wipfli, Ph.D.

Another study from Hopkins researchers found that smoking parents tended to spend money on tobacco rather than on food or other basic necessities for their children. "Tobacco control should be considered as part of the strategy for reducing child mortality," said study author Richard Semba, M.D.

Both studies will be published in the April 2008 issue of the American Journal of Public Health.